


Roundabout

by theanimes (dog_fish)



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Asexual Character, M/M, Magic, Multi, Reincarnation, Slow Build, the author is sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-08-07 19:26:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 37,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7726810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dog_fish/pseuds/theanimes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Yugi Mutou is a junior archivist in the Domino Museum, and Atem Sennen has badass shadow powers. And everything escalates from there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Undercover Pharaoh](https://archiveofourown.org/works/106263) by [lucidscreamer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lucidscreamer/pseuds/lucidscreamer). 



> The idea for this fic came from lucidscreamer's Undercover Pharaoh. They are a wonderful author and I recommend them!  
> This is my first yugioh fic EVER and my fourth overall, and I will be Flying By The Seat Of My Pants, as is the custom.  
> Please note that I have very little experience writing characters of color. If anyone finds anything offensive in the story, please let me know and I will correct it immediately. Thank you!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning

It was barely noon, and Yugi Mutou was already planning his funeral.

"Shit, shit, oh  _fuck.."_ he muttered as he scrambled around on his knees, scrabbling at the floor to get as many golden pieces as he could before his mentor walked in.  He was  _dead_ if she caught him amidst the shattered bits of something that looked extremely expensive, even to his half-trained eye. He poured a glittery handful back into the golden box, praying for just one more minute before Isis walked in.

Yugi didn't think of himself as a clumsy person - years of friendship with Jou had cured him of that - but he had no other explanation for why the box had fallen from the desk in the first place. He had just passed it, holding a ream of museum files, when he heard a  _crash_ and turned around to find an unbelievably valuable mess.

Yugi brushed his hands free of floor lint before struggling with the box's heavy lid. It refused to cooperate at first, and Yugi had to turn it several times before - _there..._ The top slid reluctantly into place just as the sound of footsteps reached his ears.

Shit.

Yugi had just enough time to yank his bag open and shove the box inside before his mentor walked into the lecture hall.

Isis Ishtar was a tall woman of thirty, impeccably dressed, with a calm, stern gaze that could make even the staunchest critic wilt under her scrutiny. She only had to raise on elegantly shaped eyebrow to make Yugi regret every single one of his life choices, a trait that he both feared and respected.

Blushing, Yugi stood up quickly, fumbling with the zipper on his bag to give himself a moment to compose his expression. The last thing he wanted to do was to look guilty after he had almost gotten away with knocking over one of their new artifacts.

“What were you doing down there?” Isis’ voice was as smoothly inquisitive.

“S-sorry, Isis.” Damn it, why did he have to stutter when he was nervous? “I d-dropped my bag, but I have it now, it should be fine…” Yugi trailed off when he realized he was babbling, and blushed even harder. Isis’s expression took on a faint note of concern. He didn’t blame her – he hadn’t been this awkward around her since he had started working as an archivist several months ago.

“As long as you’re all right.” Isis watched him a moment longer while Yugi tried not to fidget. He hated it when people stared at him, something that was leftover from his gaming days. "Is everything ready for the lecture?"

The Domino City Museum periodically held events such as lectures and galas in order to raise money and Isis, as the museum's African art curator and with her career as a specialist in ancient art, was in charge of most of them. Yugi had found himself her impromptu assistant when no one else was up for the job, in addition to working in the archives. He loved the work, when he wasn't too busy to think about anything other than pottery shards and paperwork.

"Everything's ready - I organized your notes and the artifacts have all been catalogued.” _Aside from the one I pretty much smashed._ “Do you need me to head to the archives?”

“No, but thank you.” Something twinkled in her eyes. “Yugi, why don’t you take the rest of the day off? I can handle things here.”

“Wha- are you sure?”

“Of course.” She smiled at him. “Go spend the day with your grandfather, you’ve been working hard lately.”

Yugi grinned brightly. “Thanks, Isis!” He grabbed his bag and hurried out of the lecture hall, turning once to give her a wave from the door. “I’ll see you tomorrow for the preparations for the new exhibit!”

Her fond acknowledgement faded behind him as he headed through the museum, hitching his bag more firmly onto his shoulders and breathing out a puff of air at how heavy it was. _That box must be pretty much solid gold._ Yugi reasoned that he had the rest of the night to try to fix whatever had broken when it had hit the ground. _If all else fails, I’ll just tell Isis the truth. I doubt it’s the first time something like that has happened, right?_ Yugi mused as he heaved open the heavy glass doors that led outside.

It was drizzling lightly as Yugi walked down the city block past the library where Ryou worked. He spared a moment to wave at the building – Ryou’s desk was near the window, wasn’t it? Oh well – before continuing down the street toward the game shop.  His friend had expressed a preference for the quiet peace of the library as he worked to pay his way through grad school. Yugi found that he much preferred the museum, with its silent, dusty archives and noisy public areas in turn, as well as the valuable experience he got to add to his resume aside his own grad school classes.

It had come as a huge surprise when he had actually been accepted to work in the museum in his own home city – an honor he suspected had not been entirely independent of his level of fame after dueling professionally for several years. He had sent in his resume alongside – he suspected – hundreds of others, many of whom were probably qualified enough to be curators in their own right. However, when Yugi had gone in for the interview, wearing his best clothes and a tie borrowed from his grandfather, Isis had given him a long searching look, handed him an orientation packet, and quietly informed him that he started the next day. Strange or no, Yugi had been ecstatic even to start in an entry-level position as a junior archivist, and since then had never stopped relishing the challenge it afforded him.

The game shop that he and his grandfather lived in was just closing for lunch. Sugoroku had continued his tradition of sitting down for meals, even when Ryuji began helping out around the shop – “one of his old quirks”, or so he put it – so Yugi wasn’t surprised at the sight. He went around the back door to get in, as there was no use in having his grandfather lock up in front only for him to unlock it straight away. Setting his bag down on the counter with a hopefully muffled _thump,_ Yugi called for his grandfather as he moved farther into the shop.

He really needed to think up a better way to carry the box around if it was going to be with him for the night. Yugi didn’t look forward to having to explain why he was heaving his bag around like he was carrying around a golden brick inside of it. Perhaps if he hid it upstairs….

His train of thought was interrupted as Sugoroku walked in to their small shared kitchen, broom in hand, his fading hair hidden underneath his ever-present bandanna.

“Yugi! Back home sooner than usual, I see.”

“Yeah, grandpa.” Yugi moved in for a hug. “Isis let me out early! I came to spend some time with you.”

“Oof! I swear, you get taller every day, my boy. Ready for lunch? That museum food can’t be good for you to eat all the time with how much you’ve been growing.”

“Oh, grandpa.” Yugi rolled his eyes, but the statement was true enough. He had been gaining some height ever since high school and, although he would never be tall, he had almost came within a head’s height of Anzu, if she hadn’t shot up another six inches. As it stood, he was the shortest of their circle of friends, and it looked like it would stay that way. Jou still teased him endlessly when they all met up over the weekends.

“Well then! How was your day?”

Yugi smiled. As much as he loved his job and his classes, nothing beat having lunch with his grandpa.

Afterwards, they agreed that Yugi would watch the shop while Sugoroku ran a few errands. Ryuji was off today, so it was just Yugi in the shop with the occasional customer.

After a long period without anyone showing up, Yugi finally gave in and headed to the back, reasoning that he would hear the bell if anyone were to visit the store. Opening up his bag, he pulled the decorated  box out and send it on the counter with another heavy _clunk._

Yugi stared. He hadn’t had a good look at the box itself since the museum, and now he took the opportunity to study it.

The top was striped, almost looking like it was constructed out of strips of wood, with an intricate border that slanted down to the edge of the lid. The rest of the box was constructed in much the same way, with hieroglyphs running in sideways rows all the way down the sides until they ended at the heavy base. A symbol that Yugi recognized from his studies as the Eye of Horus was emblazoned on the front of the box. The entire thing seemed to be made of solid gold alloy, and was quite hefty.

The lid was unwieldy, the lip of it fitting so perfectly into the larger bottom of the box that it was difficult to wrestle it free. Yugi set it aside and beheld the angular pieces he had hastily poured back in only an hour earlier. The pieces were rather thick, the edges smooth enough that they could not have been broken shards. Yugi let out what felt like the biggest sigh of relief in his _life_ as the knot of tension deep inside him finally loosened. At least he hadn’t actually shattered the thing – the pieces looked like they were part of some sort of puzzle. All he had to do was fit everything back together, no harm done, right? Easy.

It was anything but easy. The puzzle pieces were heavy and slippery, and too often Yugi found himself losing a piece he was holding back into the box as it slid like silk through his fingers. After a full hour, he had only succeeded in fitting three pieces together and getting fingerprints all over the metal, which he self-consciously rubbed out with his sleeve. _There, good enough._

It was hard not to appreciate the excellent craftsmanship of the artifact; the puzzle pieces fit together almost seamlessly. Despite himself, Yugi ended up turning the bit of puzzle he had completed back and forth so that the gold shone and refracted darting spots of light throughout the room. He could definitely see why this artifact had pride of place on Isis’s desk. It was _beautiful,_ the edges sharp and clean, much unlike the time-worn artifacts that had also been scattered across Isis’s desk next to…

The fragment sipped through Yugi’s fingers and broke into two pieces on the counter. Yugi felt himself deflate even as his attention shifted elsewhere. _Isis’s desk!_ He had forgotten the stack of files he had been carrying before the whole disaster with the puzzle had started. _Damn it._

Would he be able to leave them there until the next day? Unlikely: in a larger museum such as Domino’s, it was far too easy for papers to get thrown away or misfiled. 

Yugi swept up the golden pieces and deposited them back in the box before carefully sliding the lid back into place. He would have to head over to the museum when his grandfather returned to watch the shop. Course of action decided, Yugi nodded to himself and stood up to hide the puzzle box upstairs in his room.

***

The rain had stopped by the time Yugi was free to head back to the museum, and he breathed in the early afternoon air appreciatively. It had been a hot summer in Domino and Yugi had been grateful to work in the air conditioned archives while the pavement baked outside in the sun.

He pushed open the glass doors and nodded to the museum greeter as he blew past, making a beeline forward and to the side toward the lecture halls. Too preoccupied with digging his keys out of his pocket, Yugi missed the conversation coming from the room until it was almost on top of him.

Two people were speaking in an unknown language. Yugi stopped to listen, but he couldn’t make out anything from the rapid-fire words and consonants sharp enough to punctuate the air even through the door. Shrugging, he knock once and turned the knob as the voices went silent.

“Excuse me, I just have to…” he trailed off as he came face to face with his mentor and someone he had never seen before.

“Yugi! I was just mentioning you-“ the rest of Isis’s words flew over Yugi’s head completely as he drank in the sight of the stranger standing next to her.

The first impression Yugi recieved was  _red._ The man had spiky burgundy hair that stuck up all over the place, not unlike Yugi's own black curls. His eyes were a shade of maroon that perfectly complemented the reddish-brown freckles on a warmly toned face. Yugi had never seen anyone like him before.

The stranger was of average height, taller than Yugi but at least a head shorter than Isis as she towered over the two.

"Yugi, I'd like you to meet an associate from my hometown in Egypt. He is here to consult on a personal project of mine. Atem, this is the assistant I was talking about." 

Yugi had to physically shake himself out of his daze as the stranger reached out a - rather well-muscled - arm and spoke in carefully enunciated Japanese.

"Yugi Mutou? I am Atem Sennen."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Art for this chapter: dog-fish.tumblr.com/tagged/ch1


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Atem stays, and Yugi stares.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter got written fast. I expect that updates will slow down quite a bit when classes start for me, but until then, I have time to write.

Yugi watched Isis and Atem converse – ok, no, he was really watching Atem and only vaguely registering the actual conversation. He couldn’t help it. Yugi did not usually find himself so captivated by another person before, yet here Atem was, drawing his gaze whenever they found themselves in the same room.

“…right, Yugi? Yugi?”

“Oh! Right! Yes!” Yugi thanked every god he could think of that he wasn't that prone to blushing. All he could do was stare helplessly as Atem gave him a smile that was sunlight personified and went back to his conversation with Isis. Yugi hoped he hadn’t just agreed to anything too bad. Isis had already given him several odd looks, but to his relief, she didn’t mention it, nor did Atem seem to notice anything. Small victories.

It wasn’t as if Yugi could try to avoid the museum’s newest guest in order to save face. Where Atem went, Isis went and, being her assistant, Yugi was obligated to follow her everywhere unless he was needed in the archives. He might have even ended up in the museum with the two of them until the wee hours had Isis not noticed his exhaustion and sent him home. Yugi had felt another surge of embarrassment, but luckily Atem hadn’t seemed to feel anything other than concern at his wellbeing. _Now only if we could turn that concern into something more…_ Yugi shook his head and berated himself for trying to slip his way into Atem’s good graces. He had been having vague thoughts of everything from asking Atem out to ‘accidentally’ tripping and falling right into his arms since the two of them had met yesterday afternoon. Yugi remembered every word of the conversation with both clarity and complete mortification.

_“Yugi Mutou? I am Atem Sennen.”_

_Yugi cautiously took the bronze hand that was offered him as if it would disappear in a puff of smoke at any moment. He looked up into a pair of welcoming eyes and felt the small infatuation he had developed just seconds before explode into a full-on crush._

_“N-n-nice to meet you.” Yugi tried not to cringe too noticeably. Atem’s smile only widened._

_“Isis has told me a few things about you.”_

_“O-oh. Only good things, I hope?” It wasn’t much of a joke, but Atem laughed anyway, flashing a row of dazzling white teeth in his warm face. Yugi watched, fascinated._

_“Only good things, I promise.” He grinned again, finally letting go of Yugi’s hand. Yugi resisted the urge to grab it back for another handshake, instead shoving his hands in his pockets and hunching his shoulders self-consciously._ _What did one say to the biggest crush he had had in years?_

_Isis swooped in before an awkward silence could descend. “Yugi has been working for me for the past several months, as well as in the archives.”_

_“At the same time? You must be a hard worker.” Atem and Isis exchanged a glance. Something seemed to pass between them before Isis turned back to Yugi._

_“We don’t have a timetable for how long Atem will be here, but it may be quite a while.”_

_Atem grinned. “So you’ll be seeing quite a bit of me! It was nice to meet you, Mr. Mutou. I hope we will become friends, seeing as we’ll be around each other a lot.”_

_“Me too.” Yugi answered his grin with a shy smile and felt his blush return with a vengeance._

Atem had been more right than Yugi would have thought. The man hardly seemed to leave the museum at all, staying past when it was Yugi’s time to leave and arriving before the building even opened. Yugi had briefly entertained the idea that Atem _slept_ in the museum, but of course that was ridiculous. He had quickly shot down that train of thought when it produced an image of Atem waking up in bed, hair tousled and chest on full display. Needless to say, Yugi had not gotten much work done that morning.

"Yugi?"

Yugi jerked out of his daze and straightened up in his seat. "Yes, Isis?"

 She smiled at him. "I believe we're done here. Why don't you head down to the archives?"

Yugi was out of his seat almost before she finished speaking. "Of course! I'll be there the rest of the day if you need me." Gathering up his bag, he dashed out of the room while trying not to seem like he was doing so. Outside, Yugi breathed a sigh of relief when he checked and realized that he hadn't forgotten anything. _That would have been embarrassing. Could have been worth it though, to go back and see Atem again…_

Ugh, what was _wrong_ with him? Yugi hadn’t even known the man for a full day and he was already acting like a starry-eyed kid. _Get it together, Mutou. It’s not going to happen. Atem probably has dozens of people crushing on him back home, people who actually speak his language._ Yugi felt a pang of regret. He hadn’t considered it before in the wake of his crush, but Atem didn’t live in Japan. He would be heading back to Egypt, maybe not soon, but heading back all the same. Even if Yugi had a chance with him, there was no way it would work between the two of them, with Atem halfway around the world. Yugi straightened up and thrust his chin forward. He headed for his spot in the archives, resolving to put this little infatuation behind him.

Sitting down at his desk with a huff, Yugi pulled the latest stack of paperwork toward him, preparing to lose himself in predictable, monotonous, _comforting_ work. He began sorting through the files involving the museum’s newest acquisitions. His job would be to mock out a rough draft of a new exhibit for Isis to review later. It would be quite an exhibit too; the Domino museum had recently received a donation of a number of Egyptian artifacts from Isis’s hometown, many of them involving Ancient Egyptian games. Isis had been in a subtle state of nervous excitement following the announcement of these new artifacts, and it was hard not to get swept up in the enthusiasm. There were files for numerous sets of worn knucklebones and dice, as well as _senet_ and _mancala_ boards. But the most exciting addition by far would have to be-

Yugi frowned. Where was the puzzle? Each artifact should have been catalogued and the files stored neatly. Did the puzzle not have its own file? Wasn’t it part of the exhibit? Yugi racked his brain, but he couldn’t think of any mention of the puzzle in either the files he received, or Isis’s account of what the museum would be getting. Perhaps the puzzle was for the ‘personal project’ that Isis had mentioned Atem was helping her with? But still, why wouldn’t there be any forms for it? The museum recorded damn near _everything_.

Shaking his head and resolving to ask Isis, Yugi reshuffled the files and set them aside in order to start mocking up his idea of a rough draft of the upcoming exhibit. However, his mind was still on the mystery of the golden puzzle. Surely something that beautifully crafted would have warranted _some_ sort of paperwork. Yugi made a note to speed up his efforts to reconstruct it, as it was obviously pretty important, especially to Isis.

Yugi kept working, although his mind was so far away from what his hands were doing that he hardly noticed when he stopped writing, too preoccupied with the questions floating around in his head. Mind still spinning, he was barely conscious of his eyes growing heavy, head drooping, and wasn’t even aware of falling asleep.

***

“Wait, wait, hold on. What do you mean _there’s more than one?_ You are taking Isis into account, right?”

Atem rolled his eyes. “ _Yes,_ Bakura, I am taking Isis’s item into account. I’m telling you, there are multiple signatures here, and it’s not just the Puzzle. Someone else has a Millennium Item nearby, and it’s been here for a while. I can sense it.”

“Huh. Figures Isis would be right about that, too. So. You make any progress with the Puzzle yet? Any positive matches?”

“Actually…” Set damn it, this was why he had been putting off calling Bakura. “The Puzzle’s missing.”

Silence. Atem mentally counted down from three.

“The Puzzle’s _what?!_ Atem, you better not be fucking with me. What do you mean it’s _missing?”_

“Exactly what I said. Somehow, it must’ve been lost among the rest of the artifacts. That, or someone stole it, but we don’t think that’s very likely as we both sense it’s still nearby." Atem flipped something that flashed and sparkled between his fingers. “Besides, if someone stole it, they won’t be able to complete it even if they did find the right person. I found one of the pieces under Isis’s desk.”

“That’s still not good enough,” Bakura growled. “The Puzzle’s missing, and there’s at least one other Item that we haven’t accounted for. Game over, Prince, you’ll just have to deal with having me there. Probably Marik, too, when he hears about this.”

As if Bakura would go anywhere without Marik. Atem sighed in defeat. “Fair enough, Bakura, you win. I suppose you’ll be on the first flight to Japan?”

“Already booked it. Now tell me about the city. If we’re going to be guarding your royal ass there, I want to know my way through it _backwards._ ”

***

_He was having a good dream._

_He didn't remember much of it past an intriguing Puzzle and working with a mentor-friend, but he complained all the same when his bedmate woke him up._

_"Go back to sleep," he whined, only half serious. "It's too early to be up." It was true - Amun-Ra had only just began his journey over the expanse of the sky._

_"Sorry, partner," came a deep, amused voice. "I'll be just a moment."_

_He snuggled back into the sheets, half aware of him - the other him, He-of-the-early-mornings - leaving the warmth of their bed and padding across the room. He shivered in the cold draft that rushed in in place of the other._

_It was an hour later before he blearily raised his head and surveyed the richly decorated room. The other one was nowhere in sight._

_Rolling his eyes - he really would work himself to death one day - he slipped off of the hard wooden bed and went searching for his shenti._

_Fixing it so it draped artfully over his legs, he wandered out, ready to face the day and once again berate the other for not being able to leave his work for just one morning-_

Yugi woke with a start as he cracked his head against the floor. Letting out a startled shout, he pushed himself laboriously upright, still dizzy from his unexpected nap. How long had he been out? Long enough it seemed: from what he could see from the window, the daylight was fading and the museum echoed with the footsteps of the last few visitors of the day. Strange... for a second it had almost seemed as if the sun had been _rising_ , not setting.

He shook his head. He really must not be getting nearly enough sleep if he woke up confused like this, especially if he was taking naps during the day. He resolved to rearrange his work schedule in order to go to bed early that night, and then pushed himself onto his hands and knees and began gathering the papers that had fallen off his desk alongside himself.

Shoving them into a precarious pile – Isis must still be busy with Atem, she normally came to check on his progress some time during the day – Yugi hitched his bag over one shoulder and decided to call it a night. The museum would be closing soon and, as much as he enjoyed his work, he had classes tomorrow and he wanted to get enough sleep.

Yugi locked the door to the deserted archives behind him and nodded to the nearest security guard before heading home. His grandpa was expecting him.

Later that night, after preparing for bed, Yugi took a moment pull out the puzzle. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting. All of the pieces were exactly as he left them, including the bit he had fit together the day before. Somehow, however, the pieces seemed… almost _clearer,_ like each edge had been sharpened and polished since he had last seen them. His eyes caught on one of the jumbled parts and he reached for it almost unconsciously, feeling the barest flicker of recognition at the sight of the smooth corners. He picked up the part that had been fit together and snapped the other piece on. A perfect fit. Yugi was entranced.

Hours later, he could hardly believe the progress he had made. One whole corner of the shape had been completed, and another, separate amalgam of parts assembled. He finally had to stop when his fingers slipped for the third time in as many minutes, scattering the pieces left on the desk and ruining his progress once again. Yugi straightened up for the first time since he began working and groaned as his neck and shoulders protested the time spent hunched over the puzzle. He checked the clock and had to do a double take when he saw the time that shone brightly back at him. It was already past two in the morning!

Feeling chastised, he boxed up the entirety of the puzzle and hastily stuffed it back into his drawer. He stood up and stretched, stiff joints popping and cracking at the motion. First Atem, now the puzzle; it seemed as if he couldn’t help getting obsessed with things that came into his life lately. It would have been disconcerting, if it didn’t feel so entirely worth it.

With sore fingers and scratchy eyes, Yugi climbed into bed and fell back into golden dreams.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who left comments and kudos!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meet the gang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks go to the amazing ashethehedgehog for being an A+ beta and helping me out with the fic! Go check out her account, her own fics are pure gold and also really well organized  
> Also! This is officially the longest fic I've ever written

Ryou was concerned.

Beside him, Yugi yawned hugely, blinking like a kitten as he shook his spiraling hair out of his eyes. A lock of hair – one of the white ones – stuck to his eyelashes, but Yugi forwent sweeping it away in favor of slumping in his seat, eyes closed.

It was concerning.

Ryou was used to dealing with Yugi on Monday mornings – his ability to sleep most of the day away was near legendary – but this was excessive even for him. He surreptitiously nudged his friend when it seemed like Yugi was going to keel over onto his desk as he yawned again.

“Yugi, are you okay? You seem tired.” An understatement.

“Fine, sorry. Just a late night.” At least Yugi was speaking clearly enough.

Ryou kept watch on his friend, but Yugi seemed to make more of an effort to stay awake, even scrawling down a few vague notes as the professor droned on in front of the class. Shrugging he put it out of his mind, mentally preparing himself to jump onto a more difficult topic after class, this one so close to home that it _was_ home.

Anzu was leaving.

Ryou himself would be very sad to see her go; he had met her when he had transferred high schools and she had been one of his first, and fastest, friends. Fast enough, even, for him to become close to Yugi almost at the same time. The two of them, Anzu and Yugi, had always been together, been Anzu-and-Yugi almost longer than anyone he asked could remember. They were endlessly sharing everything: food, friends, classes, even, one memorable occasion, clothes. Yugi had been there when Anzu had first announced her intention to leave Japan to become a dancer in New York, even answering some of the questions they flung at her, although he was otherwise completely silent on the topic. Ryou cringed to think that he would be reminding Yugi of something so potentially painful, but it couldn’t be helped.

“So Yugi,” Ryou began, unsure of how to go from there. His friend had a history of belittling his negative emotions, preferring to ignore them and reassure all of his friends that he was fine. “If you… need anything, after Anzu leaves, you know you can come to any of us, right? We’ll all be here for you.”

Yugi was silent.

“I mean- look.” Ryou was floundering a bit. “I know it’s hard for you to talk about, but you _need_ to talk to someone! This can’t be easy for you, I mean, you’ve known each other since you were kids, right?”

“Ryou-“

“And don’t try to blow me off like you always do, because-“

“Ryou! It’ll be fine.”

“See! _This_ is what I’m talking about!” Ryou came back to himself and hastily lowered his voice, staring pleadingly at Yugi with soft brown eyes. “You’re our friend, you’re always there for us! Let us be there for you, okay?”

“Ryou.” Yugi paused. “I know it’s going to be hard. And you don’t have to shout.” A wry smile flitted across his face. “Jou and Honda kind of already went over all that.”

Ryou blinked in surprise. That was a rare moment of emotional sensitivity from Jou and Honda. He was impressed. “That’s... That’s good! Really good! I’m glad you got to talk to someone about it” Yugi gave him a vaguely exasperated look, and Ryou grinned ruefully. “Sorry about all that. I guess I was pretty concerned. You will be okay, right?”

“I-well, Anzu talked to me, you know, before she decided to leave.” Ryou nodded. That was what he had expected, pretty much. “And we talked for a _while._ I think... I think I’ll be okay. I mean, it’s not like _we’re_ planning on going anywhere. What she can gain over there that she can’t get here will be worth it. And even if it’s not… I’ll – we _all_ will still be here waiting for her. So it’s okay. I’ll be okay.”

“I’m really glad to hear it.” Screw that, he was _incredibly relieved._ “But... maybe next time? Talk to everyone about how you’re feeling. Please, we all worry.”

Yugi’s expression softened. “You _were_ pretty worried, huh? Sorry, I’m still not used to this.” Ryou didn’t need to ask what he meant. _Still not used to having so many friends…_ “I promise to talk to you if something’s bothering me. But you have to promise the same thing.”

Ryou nodded. “Deal. Thank you, Yugi.”

Yugi laughed awkwardly before busying himself with his phone, a move that conveniently hid his face from view. At least until he froze and hurriedly hissed, “ _Ryou!”_

“Hmm?”

“You’re going to be late for class!”

He blinked. “Yugi, it’s Monday. I don’t have class for the rest of the day, remember?”

“Oh. _Oh,_ right. Sorry.” A nervous laugh. “I guess I’m more tired than I thought!”

And just like that, Ryou’s concern was back.

“What were you doing, anyway, that’s taking up all of your time?”

“Don’t worry about it.” Yugi smiled warmly. “It’ll be worth it in the end.”

Several days later, the topic came up again. The six of them – Ryuji joining the group for a rare weeknight out at their favorite restaurant – were all enjoying themselves with the easy familiarity of old friends, except for Yugi. He had been staring out the window absently from his seat directly next to Anzu, occasionally letting out a huge yawn. It did not take long for the rest of them to notice.

Fending off queries to his health, sleeping habits, and entire work schedule – Anzu and Jou could be especially insistent if something caught their interest – Yugi finally laughed and muttered something about working on a personal project late at night.

“It’s just a new game I’ve discovered. A puzzle.” He elaborated.

A puzzle? Ryou looked over, immediately interested. Across from him, Jou perked up with their usual level of enthusiasm, pushing their empty plate to the side.

“What kind of puzzle, Yugi? Is it interesting?”

“Of course it’s interesting, Jou, else Yugi wouldn’t be up all night completing it!”

Yugi refocused on the conversation and laughed loudly at Jou’s look of mock outrage. He could always count on his friends to snap him out of whatever had been bothering him.

Giving in to temptation, he took a sip of his drink and leaned forward over the table. “All right. You really want to hear about the puzzle?”

Sensing a good story, the rest of them leaned in. Yugi grinned dramatically as he surveyed the faces of his friends.

“It’s not just any puzzle. _This_ one is made of pure gold-“

“I doubt it’s _pure_ gold-“

“Jou! Shut up, this is good.” Anzu turned back to Yugi. “Go on! I want to hear this.”

Yugi nodded sagely. “Pure gold. And it comes in this fancy box with the Eye of Horus on the front. I’ve never seen anything like it!” His eyes began to shine with excitement. “I’ve been working on it for the past couple nights, and it’s _hard,_ but I’m really liking the challenge. And the craftsmanship! It’s so clean and neat, all the edges are _perfect_ \- it doesn’t look aged at all!”

“Sounds gorgeous!”

“Yugi, your archaeologist is showing.”

“ _Pure_ gold…”

“Where did you get it?”

At Ryou’s tentative question, Yugi turned to him.

“Actually…” he pulled a face. “It’s kind of a funny story…”

***

The bundle was there in the back of his drawer, right where he had left it. He pulled it out carefully, as if he wasn't sure whether to be reverent or not. There was a faint jingling of metal from underneath the folded cloth as it was unwrapped to reveal a flash of gold.

The Ring looked the same, as always: polished and shining, with one needle pointing insistently out the window like the needle of a compass. Ryou did not bother to react to this anymore – he had fiddled with the Ring for hours after it had started indicating that direction a year ago. No matter which way he turned it, one needle would always be faithfully upright, pointing straight into the side of the building next door.

It had been a gift from his father, the last one given in person before the man seemingly vanished off the face of the earth. He left nothing more than a phone call once per year and another wrapped present on Ryou’s birthday. He still remembered the last day he had seen his father with crystal clarity.

_Ryou pushed open the door to the kitchen, calling out for anyone who might be there but not really expecting to get an answer. He was unprepared for his father to call back from further in the house, sounding distracted with something, but welcoming enough._

_The ring was in a hastily wrapped box, the wrapping paper a bit torn but still brightly colored and cheerful. He exclaimed happily over the Ring, knowing that it was what his father wanted. The man’s smile was tired but genuine._

_“Happy birthday, son.”_

His father never called him ‘Ryou’, it was always ‘son’. Ryou half believed the man didn’t even remember his name. That day had been the last he had seen him, his father taking off to places unknown and leaving Ryou a brand new apartment and an enormous check. Ryou had barely kept himself from tearing it up.

He shook his mane of pale hair out of his eyes. He needed to stop delving into the past. He had work tomorrow.

On a whim, he dropped the Ring on his bedside table before leaving the room, not noticing the movement of a second needle as the tip shakily nudged in a new direction. If he had been looking, he might have even wondered why it was pointing in the direction of the game shop.

***

Yugi was filing away the latest draft of the new exhibit – he really needed to present a final version to Isis one of these days, he knew – when he heard the language again.

The conversation – in Arabic, he assumed – floated down the hall and came to a halt right outside the door to the archives. Yugi ducked his head, wide-eyed. He didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping to his mentor and his crush, even though they were speaking a different language. There was a pause, then a third party jumped in, this time in Japanese.

“Excuse me, Miss Ishtar? Mister Sennen? You had questions for me?”

“Yes.” Isis’s voice got much clearer as the door swung open and three people entered. Yugi ducked his head down lower, cursing internally. He started shoving the papers into the nearest drawer, resolving to come back later and file them correctly. Right now he just wanted to get out of here.

“Yugi! Hold up!” Atem caught him just as Yugi was reaching for the door handle. _Busted._ Behind them, Isis was questioning an uncomfortable-looking woman in her forties with single-minded focus. One of the loading dock workers, Yugi realized.

“Are you sure you saw it? It came in with the rest of the artifacts? Tell me where you put it.” Isis demanded, looking haggard.

“Yes, yes, I put it in your office-“ the woman was saying.

“Yugi?”

Atem’s face appeared in Yugi’s line of sight and Yugi smiled nervously at seeing that intense red gaze directed at him. His eyes skittered away, settling somewhere a few inches above Atem’s shoulder. “Y-Yes?”

“Yugi, this is important.” Yugi refocused his eyes back on Atem. He had a bad feeling…

“Have you seen a golden box anywhere around here?”

Once, back in high school, one of the upperclassmen who regularly bullied him had shoved his elbow into Yugi’s sternum, bruising it and knocking the breath straight out of him. He had hoped he would never have to feel that again, but here he was, feeling himself shrink under Atem’s gaze while Isis grilled the worker far off in the distance.

“N-n-no, I haven’t seen anything like that.” This was what he had been afraid of. Yugi started entertaining thoughts of having to go to court after obviously stealing such an important piece of the museum exhibit. Guilt was a heavy weight in his stomach. All because he had to knock over the box in the first place and then hide it away-

“Yugi?” Atem was looking alarmed now. “Are you all right? You look ill.”

He pounced on the opportunity. “Yeah, I haven’t been feeling well lately. I was just about to head home, actually.”

“Good, do that. Make sure you get plenty of sleep, okay? I don’t want-“ Atem cleared his throat, gaze shifting away from Yugi’s face. “I-that is to say- I’d like for you to feel better.”

Feeling some of the weight lift off his shoulders, Yugi gave Atem a wide smile and was confused when Atem cleared his throat awkwardly again. “I’ll be fine, thank you.”

Atem nodded, his face looking even warmer than usual. “Off you go, then.” He tried for a weak smile and was relieved when Yugi turned to leave.

***

Atem stayed and stared at the door, blushing, even after Yugi had gone. _What was wrong with him?_ He had only been concerned for Yugi’s welfare, as he was so obviously unwell, and had just noticed that his blue eyes seemed luminously violet in the right light…

He stood there, only snapping out of his daze when Isis came to collect him.

***

Halfway home, Yugi remembered why he had been in such a rush to leave the museum in the first place. _Shit!_ Somehow, the puzzle’s absence had been noted, even though he had searched the newest files top to bottom and could find no mention of it in there. He would have to finish it, _soon._ Maybe he could sneak in when Isis was gone and just leave it on her desk. That idea seemed like the only option, short of telling her he had knocked over a priceless artifact. Now if only he could sneak into her office without her knowing…

Distracted, he barely acknowledged his grandpa’s greeting as he blew past him on his way upstairs. He shut the door to his room with his foot and rushed over to his desk, flinging his bag somewhere in the general direction of his bed. He fumbled for the puzzle box.

Yugi had fit together two large parts of the puzzle, leaving behind only a few pieces that would connect them somehow. Though he knew he had to complete it as soon as possible, he couldn’t help but stop to admire the two halves of the shape. It looked to be some sort of pyramid, though it would hang upside down instead of pointing up, due to the ring on the bottom that was strung on some kind of cord. The edges where the two halves would connect were jagged, but the rest of the puzzle was fitted together so smoothly that the seams could barely be seen. Yugi had to admire the incredible mind that had to have made the puzzle – all of the edges lined up perfectly, so it almost looked like one greater whole instead of the jumbled pieces he had found in the box.

There were only a handful of puzzle pieces left. Yugi shakily picked one up. Now that he knew how much Isis valued the treasure, he found himself handling it reverently, like it would bite him if he made a wrong move. He busied himself trying to match up the shard he was holding with the edges of the larger piece. The piece glimmered as it turned and Yugi was struck by the thought that if he never completed this puzzle, he would have to tell Isis the truth, and she would never forgive him.

The large piece he was holding slipped through his fingers and broke into three pieces on the hard surface of the desk.

_No!_

He grabbed for one of the largest, and it split into smaller pieces between his fingers.

Everything was coming undone. All the time he had spent on this project, and he’d have to tell Isis...

_Yugi. Take a deep breath._

He took a deep breath.

_Calm down and look._

Yugi looked, really looked at the golden pieces scattered before him for the first time that day. Yes, he could see where it had shattered, each piece splitting off of the smooth, perfect edge…

His fingers seemed to be moving on their own as they delicately began to work. He found himself settling into an almost meditative state of mind as he patiently matched the jagged edges, bit by bit, corner by corner. He failed more often than he succeeded, but the puzzle had recaptured his interest and the time seemed to fly by as he slowly built it back up again.

It seemed like no time at all before he could see where the two halves would connect, how they could slide into place with one perfect _click…_

Then, it was daytime and the puzzle was almost complete.

One gaping hole was left in the side, but Yugi barely noticed it in the face of the _relief_ that swept through him at the sight of the five flawless corners of the pyramid. Everything was _fine,_ he could leave the artifact on her desk and no one would be the wiser…

...And the last piece was missing. _Fuck it._

He didn’t know what to do. Go back and search for the missing piece? He doubted he would be able to look for it without someone finding him and wanting to know what he was doing, even if it wasn’t Isis. _The best thing – the ONLY thing- I could do right now is just give her the puzzle and help her find the piece later._ He could only hope for the best.

Yugi knew the code in order to open the employee’s entrance to the museum – for emergencies, Isis had said- but he had never had reason to use it before today. He slid in and closed the door as quietly as he could, praying that night security wouldn’t come investigate to find out why a short man with a bag was furtively sneaking in through the back of the building.

He set the pyramid down on her desk with a sharp _clunk_ , flinching at the sound and scooting out the door before someone could come investigate.

He slunk his way back down the hall, glancing over his shoulder and hoping against hope that this wouldn’t come back to bite him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, Yugi.


	4. Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three happenings in one day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bakura's first name comes from this post : http://sarroora.tumblr.com/post/15143992291/meanings-of-egyptian-names-in-yu-gi-oh. Thank you to saroorra on tumblr for letting me use it, and to the wonderful ashethhedgehog for being an awesome beta!

Akef Bakura apparently did not believe in little things like jet lag. So Atem had thought to himself as he stood there calmly, unconcerned by the rant being delivered directly in front of him. Bakura looked like shit – a twelve-hour flight halfway around the world would do that to you, Atem had discovered - but if anything, he had gained _more_ steam because of it. The man was standing in the center of Isis’s office in rumpled clothes, arms crossed, and listing all of the reasons why he was _not_ enjoying himself very much, and did not expect to do so anytime in the near future.

“And don’t think I can’t tell that you’re not even listening to me, O great Pharaoh of the ages, you  _never_ listen to me and, surprise surprise,  _that’s a gods-damned problem right there-“_

Atem nodded when Bakura paused for breath, idly wondering how Yugi was doing today. He’d tried to keep his thoughts on the problem of the Puzzle for the last few days, but now that he had a free moment, his mind turned back to the small man he had been coming to know over the past week.

Yugi was…a mystery to Atem, and not just because he didn’t know him very well. He had yet to figure out why something nagged at him whenever the smaller one caught him off guard with yet another aspect of his personality. He was a whirlwind of kindness, smiling at all of his coworkers just because he could, then offering to help Isis for no reason other than she needed the help and he loved the work. It didn't hurt that his eyes were so arresting, the blue-violet contrasting magnificently with his black hair, the purple highlights and lighter-colored streaks enhancing the effect. Atem made a note to ask Yugi if those white bangs of his were natural or not. Either way, they framed his face well, and Atem found it adorable to watch him impatiently shake them out of the way when he was excited.

Everything he did seemed so  _normal,_ even the way he stuttered and blushed and fumbled for words. Normal, yet special somehow. Old, well-known in the spaces they carved out for themselves, but beloved all the more for it...

Before he could shut the thought down, he began wondering about the logistics of staying in touch once their business in Japan finally concluded. Yugi seemed to possess the unique ability to redirect his attention, seemingly without any effort, and Atem decided that he liked it. A friendship like that was worth Mahaad’s quiet disapproval and Bakura’s ranting.

“This entire thing was a risk from the beginning, I  _told_ you, and now we have an Item we didn’t even account for and still no way to find whoever the fuck the Puzzle has chosen! We. Are.  _Fucked_. And another thing-“

It was too bad, he mused, that Isis and Marik were busy having their own, slightly heated conversation. Otherwise Marik might have been able to intervene. Presenting a united front always seemed to calm Bakura down, for some reason.

“Atem, we left you alone for  _one fucking week._  Tell me how, in all of Ptah’s creation, did you lose the Puzzle, get it back, and still have  _no idea who fucking put it together?!?”_ Bakura finished his lecture with a hiss, tilting his head as his gray eyes drilled into Atem’s. Atem took the opportunity to tune back into the conversation.

“Bakura.” he began calmly. The man huffed at him. Atem found himself fighting a smile. As tough and prickly as Bakura tended to be, Atem knew him well enough by now that he could tell by his ranting how much he cared about what happened to the people he considered his. “It’s not as bad as it seems, and I think you know that.”

 _“Oh do I?”_ Bakura’s words were harsh but Atem could tell he was calming down by the way his shoulders reluctantly began to relax. It didn’t hurt that Marik and Isis had finished up their conversation and headed over to join them. Marik made a beeline for Bakura, eyeing Atem. Atem winked, and Marik rolled his eyes, but he seemed more amused than anything.

“So what did I miss in your lecture? Anything good?” Riling Bakura up was fun. Dangerous, but fun, which was everything Atem looked for in a friend.

Bakura halfheartedly punched him in the shoulder. “Basically, fuck you for this whole plan, but thank you for keeping my job interesting. Also, stop worrying me, dammit, I don’t want you to get your royal head separated from your royal shoulders.” He glared for a moment more while Atem grinned sheepishly, then sighed deeply and dropped the topic.

Atem switched his attention to the three of them together as Isis glided over, her black hijab highlighting the bags under her eyes as she fought back a yawn. He didn't blame her - it really was early, the sun not even peeking over the tops of the buildings yet. It was a wonder they hadn't been kicked out by security so far.

He paused as he searched for the right words. “I suppose we all know how much of a goddamn clusterfuck this has been from the beginning.”

He could tell Bakura liked that by the way he grinned evilly. “It must be, seeing as you hardly ever curse. I’m proud of you, Prince. Anyway, there’s just one Puzzle piece left. Can’t we just shove it in and call it done?”

“Already tried.” Atem muttered. “It wouldn’t fit.”

“Huh. Guess the Puzzle’s already picked its favorite person. So what, only one person can complete it and, yet again,  _we don’t know who it is?_ Perfect.”

Marik jumped in. “We need some sort of plan now that everyone’s here.” He turned to Isis expectantly, who nodded.

“The Puzzle isn’t an option until whoever completed it comes forward. I suggest we focus our efforts on the unknown Item we know is in the city.”

“Plus,” Marik added, eyes bright, “it should be much easier with all four of us here.”

“Agreed.”

“You’re right, as usual. Where do we start looking?”

Silence.

Bakura broke it in a very predictable way. “Fuck.” Atem wholeheartedly agreed.

“This would be much easier if we had the Ring.”

***

Ryou heard them before he saw them.

He had been working the customer service desk – not his favorite job by far, but he managed – and enjoying a break in the influx of visitors to the library. With classes beginning, there were almost twice as many people there as before, to study, to read, and to hold massive research groups that sprawled over several tables at a time, debating and talking quietly. Ryou had even joined in - he, Yugi, and usually Anzu would commandeer a table of their own for grad school work. Ryou doubted that the tradition would continue after she left. He didn’t know about Yugi, but the work wouldn’t be the same without Anzu humming under her breath and regularly cutting in to their discussion to make her own points.

He was folding post-it notes into little shapes – no one said he couldn’t have fun on the job, right? - when he heard two voices arguing in accented English and getting steadily closer.

"This is why we should have brought Atem with us! At least his Japanese is actually _fluent…_ ”

“Relax, it’s fine, someone has to speak English, right? French? Nubian?”

“Now you’re just being ridiculous.”

"Heh. I make ridiculous look good.”

Ryou leaned over his desk to get a better view and the conversation stopped abruptly as he was noticed. Two wild-looking strangers met his eyes, dressed in jeans and t-shirts and generally looking as if they had just come in from a bar fight. The sight was entirely at odds with the quiet ambiance of the library.

He was staring rudely. He gave the two of them a polite smile.

“Can I help you two?” Ryou asked in English, very conscious of his own accent. It was unnerving, being looked at so intensely, but he had a feeling that these two looked at everything intensely.

One of them  - a wiry man with straw blond hair that shone cheerfully bright against his tan skin – stepped forward. "We're looking for a way to book a hotel room. This place has computers, right?" His eyes were a very deep purple.

"I-yes, of course. Here,” Ryou hastily moved out from behind the desk, “please follow me, I'll try to find you one that uses English."

“Thanks.”

They headed for the back of the building, the man walking beside him in a way that reminded Ryou of an alley cat: all limbs and grace and scruffy fur. His footsteps were even cat-quiet as they wove in between tables and bookshelves on their way to the end of the hallway.

Ryou was so preoccupied with not being caught eyeing the stranger that it took him a few moments to realize he had lost sight of the man’s companion.

“Your friend, is he…?”

“He’ll be fine.” The man looked like he wanted to roll his eyes. “He can take care of himself.”

Ryou wasn’t sure what to say to that. “…All right then.”

They reached the computers, Ryou directing the man toward the correct one and paused awkwardly, fidgeting with his hands. “I’ll be at the front desk if you need any more help.” He offered the stranger a quick bow, then turned on his heel and marched back to his desk without looking back once. _It’s rude to stare._

It wasn’t that the man looked out of place, although the purple crop top he was wearing _was_ pretty eye-catching. It was – Ryou wasn’t sure what it was, but it was magnetic. It was in the slant of his shoulders, his sure, steady steps, the swing of his hips-

Ryou shook his head.  _Stop it._ Even if he had enough time to date, he certainly wasn’t going to do it with the first person that caught his interest, no matter how dangerously attractive they might look. _Back to work._

His desk looked exactly the same as it had when he had left, as it had for the past four hours. He sighed and resigned himself to a monotonous shift as he slouched back into his chair. Maybe he could grab a book from one of the shelves to pass the time.

Bored, his gaze wandered until it caught on the other stranger that had come in, the one with the scar under his eye and the snow white hair, though he looked pretty young. Ryou thought that the scar made him look almost cartoonishly like a pirate. He snorted, imagining the man with an eyepatch, walking around with a peg leg, and-

-and stealing books from the shelves. _Oh no you don’t._

Ryou stalked over and planted himself directly in the stranger’s path, thrusting his chin out as he stared the man down, expression rigid but technically polite. “Excuse me.”

Gray eyes met his gaze, taking him in with one quick up-down. “Yeah?”

“Sir, you can’t just take the books _._ You have to check them out.”

Ryou wasn’t sure, but he thought he heard the man mutter “ _Sir?”_ incredulously under his breath before a quick, sly grin sprouted on his scarred face. “And what will happen if I do take one?”

“Then you will be banned from the library, and probably fined.” Definitely fined. Ryou was not in a generous mood. “Please put the book back.”

“All right, all right.” The thief strutted over to a random bookshelf, laying the book carefully on top. “Good enough?”

Slapping a visitor would probably get him fired. Ryou sighed regretfully. “That will do, thank you. Please either leave, or go find your companion.” The man gave him a grin.

“You probably want this back too, huh?”  The thief – did he look _proud?_ – reached into the pocket of his long black coat and pulled out Ryou’s wallet. He handed it back to him, grinning smugly, and sauntered away. Ryou stared at it, defeated.

He _hated_ customer service.

 ***

“What do you mean, he wants to _chat?_ Again?”

“M-Mr. Kaiba, sir, please-“

“Just tell him I’m busy. Now go away. _I’m busy.”_

The man bowed and left, nearly running. Kaiba sighed, and most certainly did _not_ storm down the hallway to his office, coattails flying dramatically. That was the fourth secretary he had terrorized in as many months. There were fewer and fewer applicants every time the position opened up. Mokuba would be after him when he found out. Something about keeping the employees happy and his temper under control and _Seto, you need to stop making scary faces all the time. People will start thinking you’re angry at them!_

Kaiba could care less, but not by much. He had a job to do, and he expected excellence in all of his employees. It wasn’t his fault that his standards were higher for the person that worked directly under him. He would talk to Mokuba about getting someone else to organize his appointments, someone much less timid than the last four people.

 _It probably is my fault. Fuck._ It would have to be someone _very_ much less timid.

“Mr. Kaiba?” A calm voice.

“ _What.”_ He almost snapped before reining himself in. The woman didn’t flinch, he noted with surprised approval.

“You have another call from Mr. Crawford. He’s on hold right now-”

“Keep him on hold.” Kaiba had had enough of this. “I’ll get around to him eventually.”

The woman nodded, her soft purple eyes showing just a hint of humor before she turned and walked off, blonde curls waving. Huh. He would have to look into her employment record, see if she was always this steely and unflappable. Most people couldn’t even look him in the eye.

He quickened his stride, wanting to get to his empty office before any more interruptions could distract him. He would never admit it, but the hardest part of his job wasn’t the late nights, or the miles and miles of complicated coding he sifted through on a daily basis. No, the most difficult part of the work was the _people._ Coding was simple; he understood it, knew when there was a problem, could fix it right away by just finding the right line of code. People were a completely different story. If there was a problem, sometimes he wouldn’t find out until it boiled over and made an even bigger mess. The power of the Millenium Rod had helped a little with reading and influencing people - Kaiba only had so many talents, and socializing was not one of them. There were times when he was tempted to send for it just to make everything simpler for a day.

He finally, finally pushed open the door to his office and into blessed silence. A laptop was waiting for him, silver and sleekly designed on his desk, as well as a pile of files he really should get a move on with. Kaiba closed the door. This was something he could do.

Some time later – he was never sure how much– a knock on the door sounded and in came the woman who he had met in the hall earlier. She still looked perfectly put together, but there was a frazzled look in her eyes.

“Sir? Mr. Crawford is still insisting he has to talk to you.”

Good timing. Kaiba was in a somewhat better mood.

“Fine. Transfer the call to my office phone. Please. Also, tell your supervisor you’re promoted. I’ve put the paperwork through.”

She nodded. “Yes sir. Thank you.”

“That will be all.”

Fearlessly tossing him a wink, she exited the room, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she went.

Kaiba was picking up the phone almost before the door closed, wanting to get this over with as quickly as possible. “What the hell do you want?” he gritted out.

The voice that answered him was warmly amused. “Ah, Kaiba-boy. Tell me, what’s this I hear about Millenium Items in Japan?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The gang meets the squad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap, chapter five already! I am totally blown away by the awesome responses to this fic - thank you to everyone who left comments or kudos! And, as always, thanks go to ashethehedgehog for catching my mistakes :) I will probably be taking a short break from this fic, as college classes are starting and I will be pretty busy.

The shadows were restless tonight. They curled sinuously in the edges of his vision and in dark corners he didn't bother to check, hissing half-heard words into his ears from what sounded like a deep canyon. _Hungry._ Their voices echoed weirdly in the cozy office, out of place and unwelcome to the four of them.

Atem frowned, holding out his hand and letting the shadows trickle away from the corners of the room and wrap around it, razor edges settling against his skin. He would have to feed them soon, or risk the consequences of having them on a hungry rampage, loose in the city. Around him, they rose hopefully, circling his feet and making shifting shapes on the wall of Isis's office.

Behind the desk, Isis narrowed her eyes in concern. This was not the first time Atem had had to quiet the darkness in front of her, but something about the way the shadows rose so quickly unsettled her. Out of habit, she brought her hand to the base of her throat, feeling the smooth curves of the Millennium Tauk, a reassuring weight underneath the cloth. She had another bad feeling, one that tugged urgently at the edges of her consciousness, but she didn't voice her concerns. Not yet.

Eventually, Atem banished the darkness with an experienced flick of his wrist, noting with relief that it seemed to settle quietly. Good for now, but they wouldn't stay down for long.

"I'm going out." He pushed himself up from where he was leaning against the wall. Across the room, Bakura and Marik stilled, ending their hushed conversation with little more than a shared grin. Atem worried about them sometimes.

"Shadows getting hungry there, Prince?" Marik stood up and stretched while Bakura fell in beside him, a feral smile on his face. "We're going with you. We could use a little excitement."

Atem merely shrugged before tilting his head in acquiescence. "Come on."

It was easy enough to follow the pull of the shadows as they rushed ahead, eager to seek out a soul they could feed off of. Three sets of footsteps were barely audible as they chased the darkness that flitted between buildings, causing yellow-lit street lamps to flicker and buzz with the sound of faltering electricity. Atem could practically taste their anticipation in the air. He’d been right - it had been far too long since he had called the shadows to hunt. Free to move as they wished – though not able to move too far from Atem, he was not _that_ reckless - they flowed along the sidewalks and alleyways, tasting the air and searching for a soul to satisfy them.

The night seemed almost electric, each moment fluid and slow as they slipped by, leaving only a line of flickering streetlights behind them. He knew when they had found something - whispered words of _there, there, there_ echoed in his ears.

The would-be mugger was surprisingly young, only a few years older than Atem himself, but she held the gun in her hand with the type of experience that came with practice. The shadows curled eagerly, like the outlines of snakes on the pavement.

Marik and Bakura fell back to loiter at the entrance to the alleyway as Atem stepped forward, red eyes glinting darkly in the dim light from far-away street lamps.

"Let's play a game."

***

The game wasn't very imaginative, merely a modified Russian Roulette, but it was late and he wasn't feeling particularly creative. It took only two turns before she lost her nerve, grabbing the gun and aiming it, hand trembling. He waited, the shadows whispering around them. This was their favorite part.

She didn't pull the trigger. He was surprised, and impressed, even as the shadows hissed in fierce disappointment. They would have to find some other prey now, a soul with enough darkness to deserve a penalty game.

He watched her run away, his words ringing in her ears for days to come.

_Don’t test me again._

They moved on.

It took two violent thieves and a corrupt businessman until the darkness was sated, curving around to rest on his shoulders in its satisfaction like a hawk with a freshly caught rabbit. Atem paid them no mind, although he was careful when turning his head. He had gotten enough cuts from the sharp edges of the shadows to learn caution around them.

"Finally done?" Marik had caught up with him in no time, watchful eyes scanning endlessly for anything that could be a danger to him, heedless of the fact that Atem was himself a danger. The shadows hissed at the insult, but Atem rolled his eyes and waved them down. There was no shame in being careful.

The darkness swirled around to follow his movements as he stalked back the way they had come, Marik dogging his heels. They met up with Bakura at the mouth of another alleyway, just another shadow in the night if it weren’t for his white hair. He slouched after them, quick-footed and silent like the thief he used to be, hands in his pockets.

It took three wrong turns down darkened streets and a dead end before Atem had to admit they were hopelessly lost. Marik hissed out curses in three different languages while Bakura merely cackled at them.

“ _Fuck_.” Atem said with feeling. It helped, a bit. Bakura laughed harder.

“Forgot we weren’t back home, huh? Guess we’ll have to sit here ‘til the sun rises.”

Marik scoffed. “All we have to do is keep walking. We’re bound to find something familiar eventually.”

“Let’s keep moving.” They fell into step on either side of him, Marik swearing under his breath as he tripped over a bin.

Another half hour of aimless wandering got them nowhere, and eventually they were forced to stop and decide what to do next. The possibility of being stranded until the sun rose was seeming more and more likely. Atem sighed heavily. _Khonsu guide us with your light._

The shadows were no help, having eaten their fill they were now unconcerned with their master’s problems. Atem resisted the urge to punch the wall where they rested - he would only break his hand and then Mahaad would have another reason to yell at him. Marik and Bakura ambled over to join him and he straightened up, drawing a calm mask over his face and trying to remember his lessons. They couldn’t use the stars to navigate: the sky over the city was pitch black and Atem doubted he could recognize anything with the buildings in the way. Out of ideas, he latched onto one of the many lessons a close friend had taught him over the years.

“Bakura? You lead. We’re going with your idea.” The man himself nodded and grinned smugly, the action looking fierce with his wild hair and scars. He didn’t bother to say anything, just waited for Atem and Marik to fall in behind him and then headed for the brightest patch they could see.

_People are like moths, Prince. They love things that shine. If you want to find people, just head for the light._

They came out onto what looked like a dimly lit park surrounded by trees and meticulously clipped bushes that grabbed at their feet as they passed.

“Well, we’re still lost, but at least we’re lost somewhere brighter.” Marik was not in a good mood. Atem made a note to be careful where he let the shadows lead the three of them, or to at least pay attention to the route they took. Marik hated the dark, always had since he and his siblings had escaped the tombs. The lack of light now made him snappish and irritable.

Atem took the lead of them, Bakura moving smoothly to his left side. “Let’s-”

"Atem?"

Every thought in his head came to a screeching halt. To his right, a short figure was approaching, corkscrew hair in a cloud around his head and wide eyes blue-purple and dark in the light of a nearby lamp.

_"Yugi?"_

The boy stared. “What are you doing out here?”

What was _he_ doing here? Why was Yugi outside in the middle of the night? It was _dangerous._ He could attest to that. “I could ask you the same question.”

Yugi only frowned. "What do you mean? We're in the middle of the university campus." He looked like he was about to say more when a shout drew their attention.

"Yugi! Wait up!" A tall, pale boy in a sweater came rushing out of a nearby building, slinging his bag over his shoulder. Catching sight of Atem, he slowed, eyes flicking back and forth between the two of them uncertainly. Taking the hint, Atem smiled broadly and extended his hand.

“Hello, I’m a friend of Yugi’s from the museum. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Brown eyes studied him for a bare second before the boy plastered an answering smile onto his face. “My name is Ryou. Yugi and I are old friends.” Ryou had a delicate, finely-boned appearance that belied his firm grip. Taking back his hand, he shyly tucked a long strand of white hair behind his ear before turning back to Yugi. “Is this the guy you’ve been drooling over for the past week?” Yugi choked, and Atem barely escaped stammering an undignified question. He changed his mind – this Ryou was clearly _not_ as fragile as his willowy frame suggested. Atem wondered if all of Yugi’s friends would greet him the same way, then immediately decided to stop wondering. He really didn’t want to find out.

Yugi seemed to calm down after shooting his friend a glare, looking back at Atem with a smile that outshone the dim streetlamps. “So…” he floundered for something to say. Atem didn’t blame him – he was having the same problem.

They were both saved from embarrassing themselves when Ryou happened to look over Atem’s shoulder and let out a strangled sound, eyes widening. Atem jumped on the opportunity.

“Forgive my rudeness. This is Marik and Bakura. They arrived in Japan only recently.” He switched back to Arabic to introduce Yugi and Ryou, wondering why a smirking Bakura was staring at the pale boy, or why Ryou was looking more uncomfortable by the second. Bakura broke the silence first.

“You’re that British guy from the library, aren’t you?” Yugi looked confused at the sudden switch to English while Ryou sputtered.

“I- ah, I’m sorry, I don’t think I’ve-“

“Yeah, I recognize you.” Marik’s voice. “Thanks for the help the other day. And for whatever you did with Bakura. He was giggling to himself for _hours.”_

“I don’t _giggle.”_

“Really? Because I could’ve sworn-”

“Enough, you two. _”_ Atem interrupted with a sharp command, his calm voice breaking their tirade like a hammer blow. Grudgingly, the two on either side of him shifted into more neutral stances, though Bakura's eyes gleamed.

“Well, you two catch up, I’m sure you have a lot to talk about, we’ll just take Blondie here,” he slung an arm around Ryou’s shoulders, “and go talk somewhere else.” And, waving, he did just that, with an amused Marik trailing behind them, ignoring Ryou’s protests.

“Don’t worry about them, they’re harmless.” Atem was lying through his teeth, but he was right in that Marik and Bakura wouldn't do anything weird. Yugi looked faintly reassured, though his eyes followed the trio worriedly.

“So…” Yugi turned his full attention back to Atem, who was transfixed by a warm purple stare. He smiled, almost without thought. Yugi continued, eyes now holding a tint of worry. “It’s pretty dangerous out there, huh.”

“Mmm.” Yugi blew a lock of squiggly white hair out of his face. Atem found it oddly endearing.

“Dangerous. Yeah. So, um…” Even the way he shuffled his feet was almost familiar, eliciting a wave of affection from memories buried so deeply that they hadn’t seen light in ages.

“What were you doing out at night?” Yugi blurted out, then seemed shocked at his own outburst. He jerkily wiped his hands on the back of his black pants, peering up at Atem through his bangs.

Atem shrugged absently. “Oh, you know. This and that.” Gold would look good on Yugi, he decided. Gold and purple to match his eyes.

“This and that?”

He caught a flash of a collarbone, polished gold contrasting warmly against brown skin, lit by lamplight- or was it torchlight?

“Atem?”

“Hmm?” Purple would draw out his eyes, made them that much brighter against the darkness of the night…

_Shit. The darkness._

Atem cast his awareness out in a wide circle around them, ignoring Yugi’s staring. They would have been safe enough in the daytime, but shadows thrived in darkness and would take every advantage they could when Atem’s concentration slipped. He was entertaining horrified thoughts of sharp black shapes slicing in to their skin, wrapping around their ankles and dragging them further into the dark. He had known about the dangers when he first learned shadow magic, had _seen_ the darkness when it was out of control. What had he been thinking, letting his attention wander? He let out a pulse of his own power, braced to find blackness looming over the two of them, ready to crash down in razor-edged waves.

He shouldn’t have worried. The shadows were keeping well back from the two of them – _very_ unusual. Usually they swirled menacingly, threatening to eat every soul in their path if Atem did not keep them in check at all times, but now they were almost… cowering?

“Um? _”_

His concentration snapped. “Yugi?” Red looked into worried purple.

“Are you all right? You went away for a while there.” Yugi’s expression was all open puzzlement, his softly rounded face tilted to the side. Atem swallowed hard.

“I’m... fine. Thank you for your concern.” He tried for a reassuring smile and probably failed miserably, shaken. _What could be so terrifying that the darkness itself is afraid?_ “Just too many late nights, I suppose.”

“You should get to bed. Even people our age need to sleep, y’know.”

“Ah, yes. About that.” If it were anyone else, he mused, he might not have even dared to ask for help, but here, in the dim yellow light with the darkness low to the ground around him, he couldn’t seem to find his pride anywhere. It was okay. Yugi was okay. He could ask, if he wanted.

“Do you know the way back to the museum?”

It was a good thing, he thought as Yugi’s eyes lit up at the mention of his favorite building, that it was nighttime after all. Bakura would never stop teasing him if he saw Atem, the Pharaoh reborn, the Living Horus, blushing like a teenager with his first crush.

_Gods damn it._

***

“So then what happened?”

“What do you mean, what happened? We walked him and his friends back to the museum. By the way, remind me to check up on Ryou later. He seemed kinda… off-balance by the time we got there.” Ryou had spent the walk alternatively staring at Atem’s friends, or just looking speculative. Bakura and Marik seemed unconcerned.

“So that’s it? Nothing else happened?”

“Anzu…”

“What? Don’t tell me you weren’t thinking it.”

_“Anzu…”_

She fixed him with a blue-eyed glare. “Yugi.” They stared each other down. Yugi broke first.

“Nothing happened, okay? And it never will.”

“ _Yugi._ Stop being so negative! You don’t know that!”

“I _do_ know that. Atem would never go out with someone like me.” It was true, or as close to true as he could get without knowing Atem’s actual opinion of him. Anzu, knowing her, picked up on that immediately.

“Yugi. You _don’t_ know that, and I don’t think that’s the real problem here.”

“Anzu…”

“Look, we don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. But you sound pretty unhappy when you say he’ll never like you _that_ way.” She leaned back against the wall, his bed creaking under her. They were sitting in Yugi’s room, the late afternoon sun streaking in and illuminating dust motes swirling in the air. The light fell on a discarded pizza box and their half-played round of cards. Anzu had interrupted their game, asking him why he was spacing out so badly, and Yugi, accustomed to sharing everything with his best friend, told her everything. He hadn’t counted on her latching on to his crush on Atem and _not letting go._

“No, it’s okay. It’s fine. It’s just…”

She waited, eyebrows drawing together as she watched her oldest friend struggle for words. He found himself watching her right back. The way her straight, dark hair was slipping out of its messy bun, the angles of her face, her graceful neck and strong dancer’s body. He sighed. He had gotten over her years ago.

“He doesn’t live here, Anzu. One day, he’s going to leave the museum and go back to his own country. He probably has family and friends there, just like I do here. It can’t work like that.”

“Well, Yugi, that’s bullshit.”

He hadn’t expected that. “Um… what?”

She rolled her eyes. “You say he’s moving to a different country. You think you two can’t keep in touch? You and I are doing the exact same thing when I leave.”

Yugi stared. It couldn’t be that easy, of course not. Could it?

“…Do you really think that would work?” His voice was small.

“Of course I think so! I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise!” Her voice was jokingly pretending to be offended, and he reluctantly cracked a smile.

“Thanks, Anzu.” There was one small, nagging worry left. “What if he doesn’t like me? What if I don’t like him?”

“That’s what dates are for, dipshit. You go, and you lie about what you do for a living, and you see if you’re compatible. Like that time with Rebecca, remember?” She sipped her drink, watching him with bright eyes. Yugi was stuck for a moment before he found his words.

“Wait, what? I never went on a date with Rebecca-“

“Of course you did! I was right there with you two, it was in-”

“-In that one café with the sweet rolls, yeah I remember. But _you_ were the one on the date with her. I just tagged along because you looked like you wanted me to!”

“But you paid the bill!” Anzu gestured with her cup, nearly soaking the bed with water by accident.

Yugi rolled his eyes, the heaviness of their earlier conversation dissolving like mist. “I paid the bill because I had some money left over from working with Grandpa! You were the one that ordered food!”

“I was hungry. Two snacks and a soda doesn’t exactly fill you up, you know. Not after dance practice.”

“So…huh. Which one of us actually dated Rebecca?”

“You know what? I have no idea. We should ask her.”

“We should. It’ll be awkward.”

“I’m right behind you. Shake on it?”

They shook on it.

“So what are you going to do about Atem?” Anzu asked a few games later. Yugi put down his cards and she shoved hers back in the pile. He had won again. Neither of them bothered to be surprised.

“Atem?” He didn’t know. “I don’t know. I guess…” Yugi mumbled something inaudible. She ignored him with the ease of long practice.

“Well, you said he’s always in the museum, right? You have to work there later today, we can just go over there early together! You can talk to him, and I’ll be right there for moral support.”

Yugi shook his head slowly. That could work… “What am I ever going to do without you, Anzu?” He meant it as a question but it came out sounding like a joke.

Anzu picked up on this, like she always did. “We’ll both get through this, Yugi. Like we always do, remember?”

Their smiles came easily, reflecting the hurts and joys of long memories of friendship. _I’ll miss her._

“Let’s go.”

***

He was cross-referencing sources for Isis when he heard the door bang open, causing him to jump. He looked up wildly, spotting Yugi looking embarrassed in the doorway.

“Sorry! I didn’t know where to find you.”

“It’s fine. I think I could use a distraction.” The tension eased from his shoulders, at least until Yugi entered the room and someone else came in after him. It was a tall, dark-haired girl, standing behind Yugi like a brick wall, if brick walls wore heels and carried bags heavy enough to bludgeon someone to death. Atem felt very small.

Yugi seemed completely oblivious to the intimidating presence glaring at Atem like she would kick the shit out of him if he said something wrong, instead bouncing over to his seat like he had wings on his feet.

“So! Atem…” Yugi deflated a little, glancing back at the girl, who nodded at him with an encouraging smile. “I was thinking…” Atem watched him attentively, pen still poised in his hand. Was something wrong? Yugi looked nervous.

“Wouldyougooutwithme?”

The sudden flow of rapid Japanese caught him off guard. He put down his pen, and leaned forward. “Sorry, I didn’t catch that.”

Yugi took another deep breath. “Would you… I mean you don’t have to say yes, I’ll understand if you don’t want to-” The girl cleared her throat and something in him seemed to settle. “I’d like to know if you would consider going out with me.” His voice rose on the last three words, making it sound like a question.

Atem processed this. “Out where?” Did Yugi have something to show him?

“Out- I don’t know, just out.” Atem stared. “Out… like on a date?”

 _A date?_ “You mean…” His chest felt very tight. Everything was warm, especially his face.

“A date. Like, romantically?” Yugi cringed.

Nothing was real. Yugi was asking him out on a date. A _date._ He was dreaming, he knew it. “…Sure. I mean yes! I’d love to go out with you.” On a _date._ This couldn’t be happening. Right? _A date…_

“Great!” Yugi faltered. “S-So, tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow works.” He would make tomorrow work if it killed him.

“Ok. We can go…walking. Yeah. Walking tomorrow. On a date.”

And as Atem stared blankly, Yugi wheeled around and scooted out the door, grabbing the tall girl’s hand as he went. Atem had completely forgotten her presence, and she grinned at him like she knew it.

He kept staring at the door long after they had gone. A _date._ The word bounced around in his head. _He was going on a date with Yugi!_ Why was he so sure that this was the right thing to do, despite everything he had been told about the dangers of attachments?

Bakura was going to laugh his fool head off, he thought as his phone began to ring.

***

Yugi reverently smoothed out the scroll onto the surface, the papyrus rough and curling against his gloves as he pored over the faded ink. He had chosen this scroll first, out of a dozen others just like it, as curiosity took ahold of him. This one was almost familiar, like he had half-heard someone describe it, maybe in a dream somewhere.

Carefully, he bent over, keeping his breath away from the fragile paper and he tried to decipher the faint characters. Normally, this would be Isis’s job, but she had left unexpectedly that morning, pausing only to give Yugi brief instructions before almost running out the door. Yugi had been left behind, blinking after her, completely bewildered.

He flattened the scroll again, mindful of the tiny tears in the material as it lay against the glass.

The phone rang from just outside the door to the storage room. Yugi almost dropped the scroll, hurriedly setting it neatly onto the counter before stripping off his gloves and striding over to answer the phone.

“Hello?”

“Is-Yugi?”

“Atem? Are you okay? You’re panicking-”

“It’s,” Yugi heard Atem take a deep breath threaded with static. “It’s fine, but I need to speak to Isis right away. It’s urgent.”

“Isis? She left in a hurry this morning. Can I take a message?”

“No, no, I should’ve known. I can talk to her when I find her. Thank you.”

“Ok. I should really get back to work.” The scrolls shouldn’t be out of their sealed container for too long, he knew. “If that’s everything…”

“Wait! Before I forget. I’m actually glad I caught you, but I do have some bad news.”

“Is this about the date?”

“Yea- how did- never mind.” He had never heard Atem so flustered “I’m afraid I have to postpone our date. Something has come up with my cousin’s business and he needs me to help solve the problem. I’m sorry but this really cannot wait.”

“Slow down!” Atem was speaking so fast, it was a wonder Yugi could understand him. He adjusted the receiver. “Atem, it’s fine. We can postpone the date. It sounds like what you have going on is pretty important.”

“Yeah. Yes.” Atem’s voice wavered with relief. “Thank you, Yugi. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

“There’s no need, really. Good luck, okay?”

“Okay.” His voice was warm over the phone. “Thanks. I will see you later, then.”

They hung up. In a daze, Yugi re-entered the storage room, noting that the scroll he had been studying had rolled up, leaving only the top few lines visible. He stared at them, unmoving. The hieroglyphs… he couldn’t read them, but somehow he _knew_ that the sentence was about a grain shortage, a place where the flood had not reached, somewhere in Khem-

A blinding pain seared through his head, and Yugi abandoned the train of thought in favor of clutching his head with a gasp. The words thundered through his mind: _a shortage, someone will have to deal with that, Atem is working so hard, I worry, I worry about him I worry, why does my head hurt?_ _It’s that thing around his neck, that thing he carries, its notnotnot right, I don’t, I can’t, I WON’T-_

_Please! It hurts!_

He didn’t know when the pain finally cooled. All he knew was that the scrolls were gone, packed away excepted for one, the one he knew, the one he recognized-

He hissed as more pain entered his head. He knew something- it was-it- something about a scroll… he _knew…_

_Yugi._

_He was reading it-_

_Yugi!_

_His head hurt so badly and he was reading the scroll and rolling his eyes because Atem was ridiculous sometimes but he was still the same man he knew and loved and oh I hurts it hurts ithurtssobad please-_

_YUGI!_

He didn’t remember hitting the floor. He only knew there was a scroll… something about a scroll… and Atem. He needed Atem but Atem was gone, he was away and out of his reach and his head _throbbed-_

He was-

 

 

 

 

He was somewhere-

 

 

He was reading-

 

 

 

 

He was-

 

***

_What's it like?" the other asked, apropos of nothing, "The place where you were born?"_  

_He put down the scroll he had been reading and gave the other a look. It was a whimsical mood today, then. "Where did this come from?"_  

 _The other only shrugged._  

 _"Well." He found himself searching for the right words. "It's a hard place, on a hard land. The earth is scarred and brown, but sometimes it's so beautiful it makes my heart ache." He mused for a moment. "Does that make sense?"_  

 _"I suppose. Beautiful, but harsh. I see it. Like the waters of the_ iteru _." A thoughtful hum. "Do you miss it?"_  

 _"Of course I miss it. Just like you would miss your home should you ever leave_ _it._ _It's where I grew up."_  

 _"Oh."_  

 _He sighed. "That doesn't mean this place isn't my home as well, you know. Look at me."_  

 _The other one looked._  

 _"I can have more than one home, yes? I can have as many as I want. I love this place just as I love you."_  

 _Something eased in the other's expression. "You do love it here?"_  

 _"That's what I said, silly Prince. Do keep up." He gave the other an easy, playful smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling. The other smiled back._  

 _"I'd miss you too, you know."_  

 _"_ _Hm_ _?"_  

 _"If I ever had to leave."_  

 _Somehow, he knew what the other meant. "I know. I'd feel that way too."_  

_"Even if you were really, really far away?" Ah, there was the whimsical mood again. He'd been wondering where it had gone._  

 _"Even if I_ _were far away, yes."_  

 _"Really, really far?" The other nudged his way playfully into his space. He ignored it with the ease of_ _long practice._  

 _"Yes. Really, really, really far away, even." He knocked their foreheads together. "Silly man." They sat there for a while, grinning like fools, before the other slid away._  

 _"It's all right, though. If we were to miss each other."_  

 _"Oh?"_  

 _"Because I know we'd always find ourselves again."_  

 _"Sappy."_  

 _The other stuck his nose in the air. "It's not sappy if it's true!"_  

_Their shared laughter echoed back and forth as they settled back in. He went back to his scroll, a smile_

_tugging at his lips._  

_The rest of the night passed in contented silence._

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Khonsu, according to my research, was the Egyptian god of the moon and time. He was also rumored to be a great lover of games, something Atem can definitely relate to.  
> 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A decision is made, and Yugi wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Agggh this chapter kicked my butt but on the bright side this story now has artwork!! Check out myinkyspilldom.tumblr.com/tagged/roundabout to see a sketch of Yugi! Also, I now have a tumblr specifically for fic writing and general yugioh crap: dog-fish.tumblr.com  
> As always, thanks to my awesome beta :)

They were back again.

Ryou sighed and slumped over his desk, the movement conveniently affording him a clearer view of Marik and Bakura from where they sat half-hidden behind the bookshelves. The two had apparently made the library their favorite hangout spot in the last few days, appearing in the mornings and evenings when the building was mostly empty and hiding themselves away in the back corners. Ryou had made a point to keep an eye on them, especially Bakura, but they didn’t seem to be doing anything malicious. In fact, they didn't seem to be doing much more than holding hushed arguments. Ryou found it spectacularly underwhelming.

Marik was on the phone when he glanced back at Ryou, raising a sandy blond eyebrow and giving him a look that spoke volumes. Ryou flushed and averted his eyes. He had been caught staring multiple times, but the two of them only brushed it off like it was nothing, not even mentioning his new habit of watching them whenever they passed by. The only consequence was that Marik seemed to have taken a special interest in him and often met his eyes with a glance of his own. Ryou had blushed so much that he thought his face would be permanently red.

He needed to get these two out of his head, he needed to stop and refocus on his _actual job._ It would help if he could stop obsessing over that night – _That Night,_ the one where he had inadvertently landed himself in between the two of them while Yugi spoke with Atem - a short, commanding man in a button down shirt that Yugi seemed strangely fascinated with.

He and Yugi had been holding one of their late night study sessions, sessions that had become increasingly common with the advent of classes and assignments and caffeine. It was normal for them, routine, and Ryou wasn't expecting to have to run to catch up with Yugi, short Yugi who usually didn't walk very fast but was a surprisingly good runner when he wanted to be. He had chased after his friend and somehow found himself having to play nice with the same two people for the second time that day.

They had pulled him aside, Marik muttering, " _We'd better give Atem and Yugi some time alone. You saw the way they were looking at each other."_ And then...

_"Hmm." The white haired thief barely grunted before his gaze latched on to Ryou. "You're that British guy from the library, yeah?" Ryou felt a surge of irritation, made even sharper by the smarmy grin worn by the thief._

_"My name," he gritted out, "is Ryou."_

_"Ryou, then." The grin widened. At this point Ryou wondered if the thief was deliberately antagonizing him. "You can call me Bakura."_

_The man's companion took a moment to look back at Atem and Yugi before coming forward. "And my name is Marik. Thanks for the help the other day." He could just barely make out a glint of purple in the man's eyes as he swiped blond hair away from his face._

_"I- no problem. I was happy to help." Startled back into politeness at the unexpected introduction, Ryou bowed at both of them. "It was nice to meet you." He narrowed his eyes at Bakura. "Mostly."_

_"Yeah, sorry about that, kid." The thief did not seem at all sorry. "I would've put everything back before we left. Probably."_

_Ryou bristled, but didn't argue. "Just don't do it again."_

_The conversation stalled as they all fell silent while over by the streetlight, soft voices floated over to them on the warm air. At least Yugi seemed to be enjoying himself._

_Marik was eyeing him oddly. Ryou eyed him right back. "Can I help you?" He almost winced at the acid in his tone. Why was he so irritated?_

_Marik shook his head. "You-" he started, then seemed to change his mind. "Never mind."_

_Ryou blinked. The silence stretched on awkwardly between the two of them, Bakura having sauntered off, hands in his pockets as he looked out into the night. Ryou broke first._

_"Hey... would he really have given everything back?" He tilted his head indicating Bakura._

_Marik raised an eyebrow. "Probably." That was not very comforting. "Bakura likes to keep his skills sharp, even if he doesn't have to live off of them anymore."_

_Live off of them? Ryou could see it - the white haired thief, picking pockets on the street with that infuriating grin still sweeping across his face. "What changed?"_

_"Bakura met Atem." Marik stopped there, as if that was all that needed to be said. Ryou wondered what kind of person Atem was, to have gained the loyalty of Bakura of all people. He caught himself staring over Marik's shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of Yugi and Atem._

_"Worried about your friend?" Marik had a knowing look on his face. Ryou nodded sheepishly._

_"It'll be fine, kiddo." The voice came from behind Ryou. "Atem'll take good care of Yugi over there." Bakura had prowled back to the two of them on silent feet, sliding in behind Ryou without making a sound. Ryou's heart skipped a beat as he violently spun around_

_"I wasn't -!" he managed to choke out._

_"Atem's a piece of work." Bakura continued as if Ryou had not spoken. "But he's all right."_

_"Don't worry."_

"I wasn't worried," Ryou muttered just because he could, glaring over at Bakura. The man wasn't paying any attention to him, even with Marik glancing at Ryou with increasing frequency over time. What he had said that night was almost _comforting_ , in his strange, mocking way, like he could not only guess Ryou's feelings, but had some reason to care about them, and Ryou could only wonder _why._

He almost missed the moment where Marik decisively hung up his phone, sending a short, sharp word at Bakura before they both stood up abruptly, looking more keyed up than they had all morning. As it was, Ryou had a perfect view of the two of them heading right for the door. Turning his head to avoid eye contact – he was _not_ blushing while they were so close, he'd never live it down – he didn't see Bakura reaching over until he felt one of his curls being flicked onto his face. Ryou whipped his head back around, but Bakura only laughed silently, walking backwards out of the door with a cheeky look on his face.

The door closed. Ryou stopped glaring and ignored the desire to get up and follow them out of the building. The thought of spending the four more listless hours of his shift with no one to stare at suddenly seemed unbearable, which was interesting because it wasn't like he had made a habit of watching visitors before the two that had caught his interest.

It was their presence, he thought, or maybe the confidence they carried around, Bakura like a weapon and Marik like a shield. It made them impressive, somehow, not exactly larger than life but at least taller than they actually were. One day, Ryou really wanted to learn how to do that.

It didn’t hurt that something kept nudging at Ryou whenever Marik was nearby, a faintly metallic _click_ at the edge of his hearing and a sizzling golden taste on his tongue. He groaned and dropped his head into his hands. He hadn’t known them for even a week and already he was imagining some sort of connection between him and the two strangers that dragged his interest with them wherever they went.

What the hell was going on?

***

They all finally met up in Isis's house after a series of frantic phone calls bouncing between Kaiba, Atem, and Isis. There were four there: Marik worrying, Isis pacing, Bakura with his arms crossed and next to him, Atem watching the Ishtar siblings as he sat, deep in thought.

Marik went first. "We need to finish up here." He held up a hand as Isis began to speak. "Please." She reluctantly backed down. "If Pegasus were to find out, or worse, if he already _knows_ about the Items that we have here, we'd never recover from it. We need to get the Puzzle and the Tauk back home where they can be safe."

"I disagree." Isis put in, her hand making an aborted grab for her Item. "If we were to find who the Puzzle has chosen, it would be a great asset to us. Great enough, I daresay, to oppose Pegasus openly."

"...but the problem is, he already _knows_ what's going on, if what Kaiba said is true _,_ and he's probably on his way here right now with a million henchmen behind him! We can't afford to lose the Puzzle and the Tauk, not after what happened with the Eye. The other Item hasn't moved since we sensed it, it's safe to say it will be here when we get back."

"We'll need the Tauk here-"

"Not if Pegasus gets his hands on it!"

"Enough." Atem said sharply, and the siblings fell silent. "We need to consider this from all angles. Bakura, any ideas?"

Bakura shrugged. "You all know what I think. That's all I've got."

Atem almost smiled. "We are _not_ breaking in and ripping the Eye out of Pegasus's head, even if it would solve all our problems. It's too dangerous, and he has resources. Kaiba Corp needs to keep up its image in order to fund our other operations. We can't afford any direct attacks on Pegasus or his company."

Bakura held up his hands. "Fine, fine." He sounded almost disappointed.

"We need to prepare." Marik cut in impatiently, his hands moving in agitation. "I say we gather our resources and get ready to oppose whatever he has planned, even if we have to do it here in Japan. The Rod can-"

"What we _need_ to do is finish what we came here for!"

Marik rounded on Isis. "Well it won't do any good if everything gets stolen out from under us, or worse, if one of us loses their soul! We're supposed to protect the Prince!" He threw his hand out, indicating Atem, who frowned.

When Isis spoke again, her voice was noticeably calmer. "Marik, if we go through with this, we gain the full strength of the Puzzle _and_ a powerful ally. You know what the prophecy says as well as I do, and I suggest we heed it."

"We don't even know the Puzzle's true power! We don't know _anything_ for sure, we're flying completely blind here!"

"We need to trust-"

"What we _need_ to do is get ready to fight, not wait around and hope something happens!"

Atem tried very hard not to roll his eyes as they started bickering again. Marik and Isis rarely fought for long, but when they did, they could carry on for hours. Bakura kept his eyes on Marik.

Atem cleared his throat pointedly, and they fell silent. "I think Isis is right. Whoever solves the Puzzle is said to gain tremendous power, power that would do well for us in our fight against Pegasus. He could attack at any time, and we need as many allies as we can find. We know that the last person to put his power into the puzzle was closely associated with my previous incarnation, and we will have to trust that whoever solved it this time will be friendly to us. Right now, we need to focus on finding who solved the Puzzle. The other Item is an unexpected bonus."

"I agree," Isis said promptly. "We need to think about this logically. Whoever found the puzzle is most likely still around, probably an employee of some kind. I doubt a student would have been able to find it during my lecture. That leaves someone who works in the museum, narrowing the pool of potential candidates significantly."

Marik cut in, defeated but still determined. "What are we going to do, walk them all by the puzzle and see if something happens? We don’t even know what’s _supposed_ to happen. Like I said, we’re completely blind here."

"Not entirely." Isis's hand came back up to rest on the Tauk. A secretive smile graced her face."I'll leave the Puzzle somewhere in the back rooms. It should do more good there instead of being hidden away."

"It's a sound enough plan," Atem agreed. "Isis, are you sure no one would try to steal it?"

"I'm certain of it. As certain as I can be anyway." She took a moment to shake her head. "My visions have been blurry and silent as of late. Even so, I can tell the Puzzle will be safe hidden among the other artifacts. We will have to wait and hope."

Marik's voice was grudgingly subdued. "Well, we have that settled. What about the other Item?”

"That's what I'm hoping you and Bakura will help with." Atem raised his head imperiously. "You can sense the Item, to an extent, due to your connection to the Millennium Rod, and Bakura will be useful in retrieving it." Marik looked away.

"All right then, good talk," Bakura clapped his hands together, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. He responded with his usual level of charm. "Now let's fuck shit up."

They split up, Isis going back to the museum to take care of the Puzzle and Bakura and Marik to wherever the hell they went during the day – Atem was almost afraid to ask. He stayed in the chair by the table running simulations through his head, trying to prepare for every possible contingency.

Pegasus wasn't going to get his hands on any more Items. Not while Atem had breath in his lungs.

***

Yugi's face hurt.

His head felt like a pile of bricks were laying on it as he tried to sit up. His eyes were twin pains in his face and his mouth tasted of dust. He was shaking.

The floor felt strange against his back: too soft and too warm, like there should be hard stone instead of the flattened gray carpet that had always been there. He pushed himself up, and was grateful for the carpet as he fell back down immediately, muscles shivering like they had been tensed for minutes at a time. _I feel like I've just been electrocuted._ At least his hands worked fine, even if they trembled violently when he grabbed the counter to pull himself up. His feet supported his weight, and he was surprised to feel most of the effects of _whatever the hell that was_ sliding off of him like soap suds.

He froze as his eyes landed on the scroll that had started it all. The sight of it seemed to bounce around in his head until he was bent over onto the table trying to catch his breath while his stomach roiled with nausea. _Not so recovered after all, then._ The cool tabletop felt good on his heated face.

The scroll was still sitting innocently where he had last seen it, before he had passed out for _no reason_. Yugi felt like he should be freaking out more about his unexplained fainting spell, but his mind was filled with a distantly panicked buzzing, like the adrenaline from his collapse was keeping him from really reacting. He stood, frozen, as he waited for another trick of his mind to make itself known.

Nothing happened. Overhead, the rush of the air filter filled the silence. He could hear people walking around through the walls of the room, going about their lives like normal. His heart thumped in his chest like a frightened rabbit.

Slowly, cautiously, Yugi relaxed, his hands resting on the counter, bracelets clicking against the surface and the sleeves of his sweaty shirt falling down over his wrists. He felt like a mess, even though he couldn't have been out for very long, according to the clock on the wall. He eyed the scroll with trepidation. He would have to pick it up in order to put it away; he would never forgive himself if an artifact was ruined because he was too fucking afraid to pick it up.

Slowly, he reached for the flattened scroll, smoothing it over warily with his fingers before doing anything else. It sent a light buzz through his hand and up to his elbow, like touching an electrical outlet, and he flinched, half expecting it to send him another set of visions, or memories, or whatever they were. He felt irrational when nothing else of note happened. Could he have imagined it? But no, his head was still throbbing, and anyway he _did_ remember picking himself up off the floor. Whatever had just happened, there was probably some sort of logical explanation for it. Right?

The scroll was stuffed unceremoniously in the drawer with its fellows, Yugi hardly bothering to make sure it was sealed correctly before he had to rest against the wall. Whatever had happened, it had taken almost everything out of him. Exhaustion weighed like a wet blanket on his shoulders and bent his spine. He could almost hear his grandfather scolding him for poor posture and had to bite back a rueful smile. _Sorry, Grandpa. I don't think there's any etiquette for something like this._

It didn't take much deliberation before he decided to head home early; he doubted Isis would be back soon and he didn't want to worry Atem if he were to push himself too hard. He grabbed his coat – stopping to slide it slowly onto his shoulders, conscious of the lingering stiffness in his joints – and left the building, leaving behind only a scrawled note in case his mentor did return.

All he remembered from his walk through the museum was a series of concerned glances from visitors and security alike. He ignored them all, too tired to make reassurances – even pushing open the doors of the museum entrance was more of an effort than usual. The street seemed to stretch endlessly in front of him, and he shook his head hard to try and clear it. His head felt better now, but still foggy, and his eyes kept catching on random objects, making him swerve slightly in different directions as he tripped his way home. He could only imagine what he looked like to a passerby.

He managed to unlock the door to the game shop on his second try and slumped through without turning the lights on. Thankfully, his grandfather was out – he had no idea what he would've said to Sugoroku about why he was home a full two hours early and walked with a slight list.

Ascending the stairs to his room was an exercise in frustration, as his feet were still too shaky for him to trust them to land on the correct steps. Eventually, he resorted to using his hands on the walls to steady his gait as he dragged himself up the stairs like a man four times his age.

His mind was too keyed up to relax enough to sleep, so he didn't even bother to head for his bed. Instead, he dropped down into his desk chair with a tired sigh, wavering a little as he caught his balance. With nothing else to do save having an emotional breakdown, he decided to switch his focus to something that was forgotten, and only recently remembered.

The polished surface of the box was covered in Yugi's fingerprints from when he would pick it up to work on the puzzle. Yugi had completely forgotten about it in the chaos that had been putting the puzzle together and leaving it in the museum. It was yet another oddity in a series of confusing events that had Yugi's head feeling like it had taken a few turns in a mixing bowl. Too many things had happened in rapid succession and he reacted on autopilot until he could stop and allow himself to properly hyperventilate.

Out of some hidden impulse, he reached his hands down to brush the sides of the box, as if to pick it up. As soon as he touched the cool metal, a shock reverberated through his fingertips and a weakness spread through his body. He had just enough time to think _Oh fuck_ before his vision was graying out and morphing into distantly familiar shapes and he was _watching it, the golden box with the Pendant inside, and it was dangerous, dangerous, his mind whispered to him, he could feel the shadows coiling around it, unseen in the light of day but there all the same. He wished Atem would get rid of it, this strange box with the strange, evil thing inside, but he would say that the power was needed for the safety of the kingdom. It was one of the few major fights they had had in recent memory, something they refused to agree on, and he shifted uneasily. He didn't like being too close to it, he wanted it gone, he needed to speak to Atem, needed to move, to blast his uneasiness out of his fingers in sprays of sparks and-_

No. No, this wasn't right.

_He was-_

This isn't real.

_He-_

He was-

 

_Yugi._

 

Yugi yanked his hand back so hard and fast that he almost lost his balance. It took long seconds to catch his breath before exhaustion washed over him, making his eyes flutter. His fingertips tingled, but the other physical effects seemed to be lessened this time. _Or maybe I'm just getting used to it._ He wasn't sure if that was comforting or not.

He didn't know what was happening to him, why he couldn't so much as touch an artifact without passing out and hallucinating himself a whole new life. What was he supposed to do? No one else he knew could help him – what would _they_ do? Would they even believe him, or just call him a liar?

He put a shaking hand over his eyes, feeling the wetness that trailed down his cheeks, and for the first time, Yugi let himself cry.

It was quiet, neat, with only the occasional hiccupping sob to balance it out. _Hush, child,_ his mother would scold him when he sobbed, when he was young and still new to the world, and he had taken the words deeply to heart. He clenched his fists on his knees and tried to breathe slowly.

_One more minute. One more minute and I'll get out of this chair and go clean myself up._

When his grandfather came home almost half an hour later, Yugi still hadn't moved.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Yugi.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone gets found out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...and I'm back and maybe-sort of on top of this college thing! A big old thank you to everyone who checked this story out, especially myinkyspilldom.tumblr.com for the awesome artwork, and of course ashethehedgehog for catching my mistakes :) Once again, feel free to shoot me an ask at dog-fish.tumblr.com to talk about writing, Yugioh, or puzzleshipping galore

The six of them silently waited in the airport. People passed by and announcements echoed through the ceiling, but they themselves were silent and subdued. All except for two.

Yugi was fretting, wringing his hands and generally looking worse than he had in weeks. His hair was unwashed, spilling out over his forehead and nearly obscuring tired, bloodshot eyes set in an unusually pale face. Anzu looked like she wanted to say something to him, a reassurance, a query about his health, anything, but none of them, especially her, wanted to start a fight with her departure so rapidly approaching. The others stayed quiet and still around the two old friends while Yugi worried and Anzu tried to reassure him.

"...and make sure you call as soon as the plane lands, won't you? I want to make sure everything goes okay over there."

"I'll call." Anzu told him firmly, but not unkindly, hefting her bag further up on her shoulder as another announcement reverberated through the terminal. "I'm sure nothing will go wrong, don't worry."

Yugi's face eased as he gave her a smile that was weary but still bright in its intensity. "Of course I'm going to worry, Anzu. This is your big trip!"

An answering smile graced her face as they stood in silence that got more comfortable as it went on, Anzu bouncing on the balls of her feet with nervous excitement while Yugi tried to decide if he wanted to be worried for her, or ecstatic that she was happy. Jou, Honda, and Ryuji exchanged tentative glances, unsure of their welcome in such a private moment, until Ryou tactfully maneuvered himself over and engaged them in conversation.

The group fell to chattering away, the awkward silence dissolving around them until it felt like any other outing they had been on over the years. Jounouchi gesticulated wildly, shoving Honda until he lunged over to put him in a headlock while Anzu and Yugi snickered in the background. Ryuji leaned nonchalantly against the wall while he kept back with Ryou, smiling in a cool, unruffled way that he probably practiced in a mirror somewhere.

Time seemed to stretch to a breaking point as they waited, Yugi feeling impatient in a way that annoyed him. He wanted this over with, wanted to go hide in his room and not think for a few hours until his head felt balanced again, or as balanced as it could be with Anzu half a world away.

"And we'll video chat every week?"

"Like clockwork." She assured him.

"Okay." Yugi forced a smile and they went back to watching the departures board.

Anzu's flight was called. It was time.

Her hug smelled of perfume and sweat and detergent, a combination so unmistakably _Anzu_ that Yugi had to hold her tight for a moment while he caught his breath and briefly buried his head into her shoulder, the highest part of her he could reach. They drew back so the others could say goodbye, giving tight hugs and smiles and claps on the back. Yugi watched all of it and felt an inexplicably strong surge of fondness at the familiar way they all interacted.

The goodbyes finally petered off and Yugi waved numbly, his smile feeling frozen on his face as he watched one of his people head off. He was happy for her, ecstatic even, but...

She would be _gone_ from now on.

Next to him, Honda was wiping his eyes discreetly. Up ahead, Anzu turned around one last time to wave at them with a smile, and Yugi returned the wave automatically. It felt like he could just turn to his side and she would be still there, ready with a familiar grin and a quick-witted comment on her tongue, standing in the perfect position to watch herself go.

The five friends that left the airport were quiet, even Jou and Honda's antics nonexistent for the moment as they all walked around the empty space in the middle of their group.

Yugi almost jumped when his phone vibrated. It was a text from Anzu.

_Stay close, okay?_

Somehow, he knew what she meant.

"Hey, guys? Actually, I was wondering if you'd all like to spend the night at my house. Like we used to?"

He was gratified to see the surprised delight on their faces right before they started planning out loud, his friends cheerfully volunteering to bring snacks and games to play and arguing over sleeping bags. Jounouchi slung an arm around Yugi's shoulders and happily engaged him in conversation, the earlier frozen silence forgotten.

_Thanks, Anzu._

***

Yugi fiddled with an extra pair of dice.

They were nice dice, he thought. Dusty and made of grainy stone, they were another artifact from the museum's newest collection of ancient Egyptian games. They had received a whole pile of stone and clay dice in different sizes and these, unlike some of the other artifacts, had thankfully not given him any trouble, whether he was storing them, or just trying to sort them without having _yet another_ hallucination.

He still had no explanation for why he kept collapsing in the first place, let alone the bizarre dreams that featured whatever random artifact he had been holding at the time. A scroll, a box, even a _senet_ board that had triggered a dream of playing a game with a series of tanned figures with blurred-out faces, everything he had reacted to had been recent acquisitions to the museum. Yugi was hesitant to tell Isis that the artifacts from her hometown were secretly cursed or something and _seriously, Isis, we need to send them back because I've been having weird dreams where I play games and wear gold jewelry._ Yugi could only imagine her disbelieving face. He heaved a weary sigh.

After the excitement of the past few days, all he wanted to do was bury himself under a pile of work and hide away until everything made sense again. 

Worst of all, the golden puzzle he had put together had somehow been left out in the archives in plain view with its one last, jagged hole in the side glaring out at him every time he looked at it. Yugi had to fight down the urge to never turn his back on the artifact, as he could feel every hair on the back of his head stand up every time he turned around and found the dark opening in the side turned his way. It was strange, he knew, that no matter where in the room he was, the opening in the side was always facing him, something he was trying _very very hard_ not to think about. He was _tired,_ damn it, he wanted to calm his life down and live like he had before, when there weren't any creepy-ass bits of gold following him around and no dreams that made his head spin and his chest hurt like someone was insistently knocking on his heart with their fist, setting the regular beats askew. His life before was seeming more and more like a childish fantasy, but like hell was he taking everything sitting down.

After the third time he had turned around and jumped at the sight of the puzzle, he had decided to call it a day and was currently working on his classwork in Isis's nice, safe office, very much away from any artifacts, golden or otherwise. Isis was away on errands unknown, and her office was empty and silent, perfect for sitting quietly and finishing yet another essay. Now if he could only concentrate...

He carefully set the dice he had been playing with on a square of canvas in the center of the desk and saved his progress, minimal though it was.

A knock on the door interrupted his staring contest with his laptop screen, and he was almost grateful for the distraction. He called out a greeting and was enthused as Atem poked his head inside.

"Mind if I join you? I need a quiet room."

Yugi nodded eagerly, feeling a welcoming smile stretch across his face. "Of course! I'm just working on school stuff right now." _Or trying to, at least._

"That's fine, as long if you don't mind if I make a few calls."

He nodded his assent and they fell into comfortable silence, the tension draining out of Yugi's shoulders the longer he sat with his newest friend.

Atem's baritone was smooth and even in the cozy space, Yugi unwittingly closed his eyes as he let the staccato Arabic syllables wash over him. Now _this_ was something he could do all day.

Even though Atem was speaking in a different language, Yugi could tell his voice was calm and authoritative, the voice of a man who didn't need to raise his voice to be obeyed. He decided he liked it, listening to Atem speak quietly over the phone like he was directing traffic. It eased something inside of his that he didn't even know was tense, like sliding a heavy weight off his shoulders after a long day and relaxing into a familiar warmth.

Yugi opened his eyes and attacked his essay with new determination, the quiet tap of his fingers adding a soothing rhythm to the sounds in the room. He felt inexplicably better, the knot in his chest that had been there since he lost sight of Anzu at the airport loosening enough for him to breathe easy.

Atem let out a sigh when he hung up, rubbing his hand over his face and tensing up when his eyes fell on Yugi, like he didn't expect him to be there. He relaxed the next second. "Sorry. Things have been...strained lately."

“Anything interesting?” Yugi asked, more to fill the silence than actually wanting to know.

Atem shook his head. "Business,” he said with finality. “Someone is attempting to make off with some of our most private files. It’s being handled.”

“I didn’t know you worked in a business.”

“It’s only part-time. The rest of the time I’m studying, or surveying for artifacts, or-” he winced, “you get the idea.”

“Oh.”

Atem watched him with concern flashing in his gaze. “Yugi, are you sure you’re fully recovered from your illness the other day? You seem distracted.” Fixed on Yugi, his eyes seemed very red as they looked for answers.

Yugi's thoughts whirled wildly, frantically wondering how Atem knew about his fainting spell with the scroll, he hadn't been there, hadn't seen, _how did he know-_

"You rushed out pretty fast. I hope we didn't make you uncomfortable with the questioning. You know how Isis gets when she has a problem to solve."

He was talking about the time before, when he and Isis had come in inquiring about the missing puzzle. Yugi hoped that his shoulders didn't relax too noticeably. "Y-yeah, just needed to lie down for a little bit. I wasn't sleeping very well." He confessed.

Red eyes stared at him intently before they softened. "Good. Make sure you take care of yourself." It sounded like an order, and he seemed to realize it to. "I-I mean, you should. Make sure. Please." The commanding tone disappeared and in its place was an uncertain mumble. Yugi watched him, fascinated despite himself, and mentally stored the moment away with the rest of his memories of Atem. He was getting to see so many sides of the man today, and he didn't want to forget a second of it.

Thinking about Atem jarred loose another memory. "So," he asked carefully, "did you ever find what you were missing? It sounded pretty important."

Atem seemed to shake off his embarrassment. "Oh! Yes, we've recovered the artifact that was stored in the box, though its container is still missing."

Shame was a heavy, guilty curl in his chest. "Oh." Yugi carefully kept his mind blank. "That's a shame. I hope you find it." His mind scattered, panicking, and he quickly shoved the feeling away. He couldn't afford for the guilt to show on his face like all his other thoughts.

The other man doggedly pursued the topic. "By the way, did you happen to see anyone touching or standing near the artifact? You can't miss it, it looks like a golden pyramid with a hole in one side."

 _A hole that's been following me around all morning._ Yugi briefly entertained the idea of telling Atem about what had happened with the puzzle. The thought of telling _somebody_ brought as much relief as it did trepidation, and Yugi was torn. "I..."

Sharp eyes focused on his. "You have? Yugi, this is important." He leaned forward. "Isis and I would very much like to know who touched the puzzle." He said the word reverently, like it was something different than the other words, something more.

"I..." Yugi's mind was completely bereft of ideas. He pounced on the first thought that came into his head. "I, um, I didn't see them very clearly. I thought they were just one of the other employees."

Atem nodded. "That's what we assumed as well. Did you recognize anything about them?"

He couldn't think. He _knew_ they would be looking for whoever damaged the puzzle, so why would Atem's question make him so incredibly nervous? His heart was galloping in his chest and again Yugi blessed the fact that a rush of blood would not show on his face.

"I- no. I'm sorry. I didn't see anything specific."

Atem nodded ruefully. "Don't worry too much about it," he said. "We'll find them eventually." He half-muttered the last part, like he didn't mean for it to slip out. Yugi's heart actually skipped a beat. _They're going to find out and then I'll be in_ so _much trouble..._

He couldn't stay anymore. "I'm sorry, but I think it's about time for me to leave. I promised I would go help my grandfather after work." He turned quickly and began shoving things into his bag, mentally calculating the fastest route out of the museum. He would have to come up with some excuse for Isis of why he was always rushing out early, but now was not the time.

"Yugi, wait." A light touch on his shoulder. Yugi paused and cautiously looked back.

Atem's hands jerked, like he wanted to fidget with them but wouldn't allow himself to do so. "I was going to say... we should reschedule our date. Since I had to cancel previously. Are you free?"

"Free?" Yugi had completely forgotten about the date in the rush of the past few days. He felt a familiar flutter in his stomach, something he had missed. "Yeah. I-I mean, yes, I'm free. When do you want to meet up?"

Atem almost looked surprised that he had agreed. "Oh, um... that is, I haven't given it much thought."

"Yeah... me either. Sorry- I'm not really used to this." Yugi grinned nervously, butterflies slowly filling his chest.

Atem's face was determined. It was a good look for him, Yugi noticed. "Would you like to go for a walk with me? Just the two of us?"

Yugi hummed in thought "Yeah. I'd like that, I think." He felt something in his chest ease when he looked at Atem. "Tomorrow, then?"

"Tomorrow for sure." Atem said with finality. "I can meet you just outside when I finish with Isis. Does noon work?"

"That works, yeah." Yugi was shocked that he wasn't stuttering. He couldn't remember the last time he had planned a date with someone.

He was given another sunny look. "I will meet you then."

Yugi's face stretched into a genuine smile. "Yeah." It came out slightly more breathless than he hoped. "I really should go though."

"Of course. I didn't mean to keep you."

Yugi only realized that Atem was still touching his shoulder when he moved away, leaving behind only a fading imprint of heat. His feet didn't seem to want to leave the room.

He left, pausing for just a moment to look back. Atem was still standing beside the desk, staring at the papers piled on top with a distracted look on his face. He flipped something nimbly between his fingers, something smooth and golden that caught the light with ease.

Yugi shook his head. He needed a break from the puzzle, if his mind was fooling him into seeing pieces of it everywhere. Hopefully seeing his friends and Atem in the next couple of days would help clear his head.

He closed the door and left the building, heedless of the eyes that watched him go.

***

"It's the library."

"You're sure?"

"Positive. I've felt something there since the beginning. Especially around..." Marik gave Bakura a significant look. Atem was left feeling completely in the dark.

"Especially around what?"

"Not what. Who. You remember that kid Yugi's friend from the other night?"

Atem took a moment to wrack his brain before a name floated to the forefront. "R-something, was it? Ryou, yes?"

"That's it. I felt it before, but I only really started paying attention lately. Either he has the Item, or he knows someone who does. The sense I'm getting is pretty strong."

"Great. So we've found the Item, but now we have to worry about getting close to the kid without scaring him away." Bakura's voice was all business, sarcasm set aside. He leaned against Marik's shoulder. "Ideas? I'm guessing we can't just walk up and ask him if he has a shiny piece of magic hidden somewhere in his house."

"I doubt that would convince him of our grasp on sanity, no." Atem answered dryly. He picked up the final piece of the Puzzle that he had been idly flipping between his fingers before dropping it in surprise when Marik burst in to the office, Bakura stalking behind him. After years of knowing the thief, Marik's footsteps were almost as noiseless as Bakura's. Atem was most certainly _not_ jealous.

Bakura spoke up. "Leave it to me. You two focus on getting close to the kid. I'll check his house, make sure he really does have an Item."

"That might actually be the best option here." Atem said with disbelief in his voice. The thief shot him a deeply amused look.

"Occasionally, I _can_ be useful, you know." It sounded like a joke, but Marik frowned anyway.

"Bakura-"

Whatever he would have said in return, Atem never find out because it was at that moment that Isis burst in, her face gone pale, hand clenched around the Tauk so hard that it was sure to leave marks. 

"Pegasus. He's here."

 


	8. Interlude: Dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter this week, but next one will probably come a little sooner! Lots of thanks to everybody who is sticking with me through this story, and also, as always, ashethehedgehog :)

_He opened his eyes to the soft darkness between dreams._

_The other one was there, like he always was, boy-king, child-king, he was_

_a young man with eyes still running wet with tears from his father's funeral ceremonies, wiping his face as he bit back sobs through court hearing after court hearing, he was_

_older now, still a slight figure but with a frame that hinted at the height he would gain within the year and he was_

_dark and dangerous, angry words and angrier eyes with the might of the shadows to back it up, obsessed with the pendant strung around his chest, like it had any connection to his father, like he couldn't sense it getting darker by the day and_

_He wouldn't_ listen, _so convinced he was right, pig-headed, stubborn son of the gods, he never took his eyes off the sun, and one day he fell._

_He watched the boy, the king, the god he knew so well start to falter, to look down and panic at what he saw around him, and so he stepped in to help with his lights and his sparks and his kindness and it worked_

_It worked, for a time, for entire seasons, but he still wouldn't listen, wouldn't throw away the golden pendant that was his last link to his father, refused to see the shadows creeping closer by the day, and so he fell._

_There was someone in the court that turned against them, betrayed them all, and he had his suspicions but he couldn't act on them now, too late, too late, he needed to run faster, needed to find his king._

_The thief was there when he arrived, standing triumphantly with his enormous beast of a_ ka, _laughing carelessly like nothing mattered, like he didn’t know what he had just done, the trespass he had caused and-_

_Somewhere in the darkness and the smoke, he caught the glint of an Eye._

_He threw all his words and his magic in between them, shouting until he was hoarse but he was late, he should have run faster because the king was dead, his king, his best friend,_ Atem _was dead._

 _He was at his side before he even thought to act, clutching his hands and screaming roughly at the thief, the thief who was too busy snarling back at the defeat of his_ ka _and_

_The shadows were rising, now that their master was gone, they were free and ready to rip and tear like a dog baring its teeth, they swirled around the pendant, collected and concentrated and he reached out and held it in his hands._

_The metal burned like fire, only colder than the coldest nights in the desert, blistering the skin of his palms and he cried out at the pain even as he gathered the last of his power._

_He gathered up his magic for the last time, and let it burn._

***

"What do you mean, he's _here?_

Isis kept her hand at her throat.  
"I just had a clear vision for the first time in a while. He's here. I saw him arriving in Japan."

"Are you sure this is happening now?" Atem demanded.

"Positive." Her voice was fast and serious. "I know the difference between seeing the future and seeing the present, and the Tauk does not lie." Under the fabric at her throat, the Millennium Tauk gleamed.

Atem nodded decisively. "We've planned for this. We'll just have to work faster now. Isis-"

***

  
_she had been having dreams for months now, dreams of a dark figure wreaking havoc with some sort of demon at its command, the Pharaoh fighting with the sort of desperation that comes from being backed into a corner with no chance of escape._  
_In all her dreams, she saw the flash of gold, an eye seared into her memory._

***

  
"- I know you've been waiting for this."

Ice glinted in brown eyes. "I have. It's time he answered for his actions."

Atem turned to Bakura.

***

  
_he was flying, he was at the top, the king was dead, his city destroyed, the thief's family avenged and he never felt higher than he did right then._  
_His demon was sealed away, and victory was tainted with anger as he growled back at the runt guarding the body, weak little thing that he was, until light flashed in front of him, superheated and cutting and he covered his eyes-_  
_Later, after picking himself off the ground, he surveyed the blackened remains with contempt, debating whether or not to spit on the ashes, when he felt a prickle at his back._  
_Something sharp was pressed into his neck and a face with a golden eye leaned forward to whisper in his ear, who really was to blame for the devastation of his village, and he saw red, red, red._

***

  
"Bakura."

"I know." Bakura stood next to Isis, eyes glinting dangerously and a feral smile stretching across his face. We'll take care of it."

"Go, then. And may the gods watch your backs."

Bakura's sharp laugh echoed in the room next to Isis's deadly silence, and the two slipped out the door.

Isis turned once to lock eyes with her brother before vanishing from sight. Marik waved a farewell a second too late.

"So," Marik sighed, "now what, Prince?"

"Now," Atem said, "we hide the Puzzle away, and go find Ryou."

***

_He was still alive when the last of his magic left him. He felt it rip free from his breastbone with a wrenching pain, like a fist had yanked out his sternum, leaving a gaping hole behind. He collapsed facedown, and he knew in the back of his mind that he would not get back up again._

_Dimly, he was aware of the thief falling into a pool of red a few strides away, the knife in his hand stained with more blood from a lucky shot, a wild slash that opened up a huge cut but not much else. The man behind him dropped the dagger onto the thief's back, confident now that all three of them were lying prone on the ground._

_He heard a scream of rage at the edge of his hearing – Isis, that was Isis, coming in too late but ready to avenge them._

_Everything was fading and growing flat. He felt like he was swimming in a dream, struggling to keep his head above water._

_He felt the dark rush of the Millennium Items' power right before he closed his eyes._

_Surprisingly, there were no hungry shadows waiting to break his fall, no darkness there to swallow him up and drink his blood like wine. Instead, the pain was melting away, becoming as distant as the sounds he could vaguely hear, somewhere past the fog that obscured his vision, angry sounds, fighting sounds, sounds of desperation and fear and death. It was funny, he thought, that after fearing death his whole life, the reality of it wasn't so bad after all. But maybe he was just too out of it to care._

_The flash of power from the Items was the clearest thing he could feel, but he was past caring now. Time was fluid here, moving as slow as honey, and emotions and thoughts felt lazy and unreal. With an effort, he spared some energy to pray for Isis' victory, before even that faded away._

_He felt a tug on his soul._

_He could see it now, his path to judgement, to the field of reeds, lying clear and obvious in front of him, but something in what was left of his body held him back._

What's wrong?

_He was missing something._

What's the matter?

_Something important._

What is it?

_What is it?_

_He felt the pieces of his soul tugging, at the end of their journey and ready to settle down and rest. A single part of him, the last part that used to be alive, was shouting and screaming to go back, back, back and_ help them _and_ you are needed _and_ stop, _and for some reason he couldn't remember, he listened._

 _In a move eerily similar to his last act as a living person, he gathered what willpower he had left, and_ yanked.

***

_For a bare instant, he could see the path he could have chosen, the path to peace in death, the one he would never have taken as long as he still had people who knew him and needed him. Then, it slipped away, receding like waves on a shore and he was rising and rising and..._

Yugi woke with a curse, gaze moving wildly for a second before reality asserted itself. He was wheezing for breath as his body trembled with remembered panic, memories of himself fading away still at the forefront.

It took a few moments before his frantic gasping eased and his heartbeat began to slow. He clung to the memory of his dream with a desperation that surprised him, wanting to hold on and savor the last bits of life that seemed so distant, as far away and intangible as the clouds. _Did I really just... die?_

He didn't feel afraid at the thought, in fact his lack of reaction was faintly disturbing. Yugi put his hand to his head. _If I did die... does this mean the visions are over?_ His mind turned over and over with conflicting thoughts – on one hand, hallucinating at all hours of the day was hardly something he enjoyed, but it didn't sit well with him, being... dead. Even if it was a dream-him, not real. _Not real._ Right?

 _Of course. Demons and living shadows don't exist._ He shivered at the thought of sharp tendrils of darkness cutting into his skin, eyeing the shadows in his darkened room with something like trepidation. _I'm being silly. There's nothing to be afraid of,_ he thought, and felt a brief warmth in his chest, like an acknowledgement.

 _Nothing to be afraid of, indeed_.

***

"Kaiba-boy's mind told me all I needed to know. Tell the others to fan out. You, however, will accompany me until we get to the museum. I want people on all of the exits."

"Yes sir."

"Leave the boy to me. His shadows are far weaker than mine, but he could still be a threat to the unwary. The others will be all yours."

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"What are we looking for, exactly?"

"Oh, I'll know it when I see it. Just focus on your own job, and do keep an eye out. I would hate for anyone to catch you by surprise."

"I understand, sir."

"Excellent. Now, let's go, shall we?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again I am so grateful to everyone who left comments and kudos!!!! Thanks to my awesome beta, and speaking of that - this fic has some more amaaaaazing art courtesy of ashethehedgehog! Check out ashethehedgehog.tumblr.com/post/152311327961 and bask in its glory.  
> Also NOTE: this chapter has some blood and violence in it, right after the first line break.

Ryou was completely out of it today.

He held his hand to his head and considered calling in sick for the rest of his shift. He couldn't concentrate at all, kept finding himself staring blankly out the window, or at the same spot on the wall, mind straining for ...something, like a hunting dog on a leash. It made his feet itch, like he had somewhere important to be _right now._

He shook his head at himself. He was just restless, he assured himself, not sure if he even believed it.

_It's just because Marik and Bakura haven't shown up today, isn't it?_ It wasn't really a question – the two objects of his fascination had been occupying his thoughts more than usual lately, enough that he caught himself craning his neck to see if they had arrived at the library at last. He was more disappointed than he should have been when neither of them appeared.

He barely made it through the morning shift, body almost collapsing in relief when time ran out and he was free to head home. He needed to _move,_ to hunt down whatever was out there to be found, needed to walk off the restlessness in his feet. He snatched his bag and almost ran out the door, earning himself several odd looks from his coworkers, which he disregarded. It wasn't the strangest thing he had done in front of them.

The fresh air calmed his tense muscles somewhat, enough that he could slow down and try to think. _Where am I going?_ He wondered. His feet were carrying him in a direction he rarely traveled, and yet he was headed unerringly toward some point in the distance, just like walking the well-known path back to his apartment.

He was so intent on what was directly in front of him that it took several blocks until he was aware he was being followed. _Shit._ Whoever was trailing him was keeping well behind, but once he started glancing over his shoulder, he caught sight of eyes sliding away from the back of his head again and again. Ryou's hand slipped into his pocket, his feet slowing from their frantic pace.

"Ryou?"

He was tense enough that the voice caused him to flinch guiltily. He turned and was greeted by the sight of Marik and – not Bakura, he noted with surprise. Instead, Atem was there, eyebrow raised slightly as he looked Ryou up and down, appraising.

Belatedly, Ryou remembered he had been asked a question. "I-Yes. Can I help you?" He hoped his voice wasn't as uneven as it sounded.

"We believe you can." Atem stepped smoothly forward, keeping a polite distance. Ryou appreciated the thought. "Is there a place where we can talk privately?"

Ryou blinked in surprise. "I... suppose we could go to my apartment," he said hesitantly, and Atem's eyes warmed.

"That would be perfect, actually. Lead the way?" It was clearly a question, but Ryou could tell it wasn't a request.

He tuned slowly, taking a moment to orient himself before he began to lead the two in the direction of his apartment block. His feet were strangely reluctant to turn away from the path he had been walking, and his mind stretched back to what he would have found if he had just turned the next corner, or the next, or...

He came back to himself as Marik fell into step next to him on the wide sidewalk, arm brushing his as Ryou stole glances at the man next to him. He was extremely conscious of Atem walking calmly behind them, gaze prickling between his shoulder blades, but Marik's familiar presence kept him from tensing up at the attention. He felt like he was being escorted somewhere. It might not have been too far from the truth - the two of them seemed weirdly intent on something.

They were silent as Ryou led Marik and Atem to his apartment, trying to ignore the feeling that he was betraying himself in showing them where he lived.

The clinking of his keys was loud in the silence of the hallway. Ryou was reminded of the quiet before the first snowfall. He shivered.

Ryou's apartment was small, almost cramped, with pieces of his life scattered throughout, making the space even cozier. He tried not to wince at the sight of the dirty pans still in the sink from cooking last night, the knives sitting nearby waiting to be sharpened. At least he had remembered to put away all of his candles, although the smell of incense and wax still lingered close to the floor.

"Well... here we are." His voice fell flat, but Marik and Atem were already surveying his apartment, ignoring him. Ryou felt vaguely offended.

He dropped his keys loudly on the table and was gratified to see Marik flinch. It was nice to get a human reaction for once. Atem merely stared evenly back at him, not even blinking at the noise.

"Can I get you anything?" Ryou asked, hoping to just get on with it.

Atem, the bastard, just smiled winningly at him. "No, thank you. I'd like to get straight to the point, if that's all right with you."

Ryou was not about to get outplayed in his own home. "Of course. Sit down." He waited for Atem to comply before doing so himself. "Marik?"

"I think I'll stand."

Ryou eyed him. "...Okay." he turned back to Atem, sitting stiffly in his chair, "What would you like to talk about?"

Atem rested his hands on the table. "Are you familiar with the Millennium Items?"

Not for the first time, Ryou was caught completely off guard. "The what?"

Atem made himself comfortable, lifting his chin. Behind him, Marik started pacing, glancing to and fro and occasionally picking something up. Ryou watched him uneasily. "The Millennium Items are a set of seven ancient artifacts, all made of gold. We believe you own one of them."

Realization was a stunning force in his chest as Ryou remembered the only gold object he owned. He swallowed.

"Marik and I," here Atem nodded to his companion, "as well as some of our colleagues, have an interest in the Items."

Marik broke in. "We'd like to see yours, if that's okay with you." Unlike Atem, it was much easier to meet Marik's gaze.

"Please," Atem said. The word fit easily in his mouth, but Ryou suspected he was used to being on the other side of the negotiation table. "I'd ask you to trust us. This is important." His strangely-colored eyes – red, who the hell had red eyes? - were entreating.

Ryou focused on Marik. The blond-haired man was watching him right back, expression open and waiting. He remembered feeling the man’s eyes on him in the library whenever he and Bakura decided to show up and distract Ryou from his work, Bakura poking at him whenever he walked by and Marik only staring at him with that same unfathomable gaze, like he was seeing something in Ryou that no one else knew.

Each of their visits had left him with more questions than answers. Was there ever going to be a better time to learn the truth?

He got up slowly. "Wait here."

Marik's face broke into a genuine smile. Ryou felt a tug on his lips in return and just barely stopped himself from taking a quick break from reality to stand there and grin like a fool.

"Thank you." Marik's voice made it sound like Ryou had done them a great favor. He turned away quickly, conscious of their eyes on his back. His heart was beating hard, like running footsteps, and he had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn't caught in one of his roleplays. This was real, it was _real,_ and he might finally get some answers.

The ring was, as always, right where he left it: wrapped up in his drawer in the farthest corner of his bedroom. The polished gold winked at him when he picked it up, one needle pointing out the window and – he did a double take – another one, pointing almost in the same direction, steady as a rock.

Ryou's mind was blank as he carried the artifact back to the kitchen, handling it more carefully than he had in living memory. He only tore his eyes off of the gold when he stopped by the kitchen table. Then, he looked up, noting that Atem had stood and he and Marik were staring at the ring with what looked like bright curiosity and keen interest and – was that relief?

He set the ring carefully on the table, where it sat, still pointing stubbornly in two different directions. Atem let out a long breath. " _Thank_ you, Ryou."

"This," he said, hand reaching out as if to touch it, "is the Millennium Ring." Ryou could practically hear the capital letters. It reminded him of how Yugi would speak of the artifacts he handled on a daily basis: a touch of awe and respect filling his voice. He tilted his head, intrigued, as Atem continued. "According to legend, its power relates to tracking things down, especially the other Items."

"You mean – it's pointing to two of the other items?"

Atem nodded, finally lifting his head to look Ryou in the eye. "The two are most likely the Tauk and the Eye – both of them Millenium Items. The Puzzle-" he glanced at Marik, considering,"-is not complete yet. Otherwise, the Ring would point to it as well."

"The puzzle..." Ryou trailed off as something tugged at the back of his mind. Hadn't Yugi said something about a game, a puzzle he was completing, made of gold?

"The puzzle," he said again, suddenly desperate to know. "Could you tell me more?"

Their attention switched from the ring back to him so fast that he almost took a step back. "Why do you want to know about the Puzzle?" Marik asked quietly. Atem, said nothing, looking at him with those red, red eyes.

Ryou raised his eyebrows. "Just wondering," he tried. He met their eyes directly and got the distinct feeling of dancing on the edge of a cliff. It sent a small thrill though his body.

"The Puzzle is with us, where it can be safe." Atem's face was completely blank.

Ryou deflated. It couldn't be Yugi's, then, not if Atem and Marik were the ones keeping it. "Never mind." He was struck by another thought. "So, who has the other items?"

He almost missed the searching looks he was getting. "Ryou..." Atem paused as if searching for his words, and that was when Marik stepped forward.

"We need to know if we can trust you before we share anything else." Marik ignored the look he was getting from Atem. "I've been searching your aura for any outside interference since we met outside of the library, and as far as I can tell, you're clean. We have no reason to suspect anything, so I'll ask you: are you with us?"

"Wait, what?" Ryou's interest was piqued. "Back up, what do you mean _searching my aura?_ "

Marik merely stared back at him. "Are you with us?"

Ryou couldn't remember the last time he had gotten a question with a more obvious answer. "Of course I am, are you kidding?" They better not be kidding – a chance to be part of a group with _magical artifacts?_ An artifact of his very own? It was the stuff of dreams – in fact, Ryou could've sworn he'd had dreams like this before. "Now, go back to what you said before. You can search people's auras?"

Marik studied him a few moments more. Atem was probably doing the same thing, but Ryou really couldn't care less. "My connection to the Millennium Rod allows me to influence people and, occasionally, learn things about them. Atem's cousin has the same ability." Now that Ryou had declared his intentions, Marik's whole body had eased. Ryou swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.

"You probably have some sort of ability from the Ring, if it indeed has chosen you." Atem broke in.

_Its power relates to tracking things down, especially the other Items._ Ryou's pulse sped up as a niggling suspicion entered his mind. He remembered...

_He couldn't concentrate at all, mind straining for ...something, like a hunting dog on a leash. ...he needed to move, to hunt down whatever was out there to be found, needed to walk off the restlessness in his feet..._

What...

_His feet were strangely reluctant to turn away from the path he had been walking, and his mind stretched back to what he would have found if he had just turned the next corner, or the next, or..._

What if...?

"Ryou?"

What if _that_ had been...?

" _Ryou."_

Marik was clutching his upper arm, Atem's concerned gaze watching from over the man's shoulder. Ryou had to work his mouth several times before he built up enough momentum to actually speak.

"I-sorry. Sorry. Just... blanked out for a minute there." He laughed weakly. The heat from Marik's hand was soaking through the cotton of his shirt and making it very difficult to think, much less string words together in a sane-sounding sentence. "What kind of...abilities... would the items give someone, for example?"

Comprehension lit up in Atem's eyes, but it was Marik who answered. "You'd be able to sense other wielders of the Items, along with other abilities specific to the Item. Felt anything like that recently?"

"Yeah... when I first met you-"

"You tasted metal on your tongue?" Marik's voice was understanding. "Yeah, that's what it feels like. I guess the Ring liked you enough to give you some power of your own. It happened to me, with the Rod. You get used to it."

"Oh, good." Ryou voice was faint, his brain barely paying attention to what was coming out of his mouth. His thoughts were a million miles away, already listing everything he could _do_ with a power like this. "Could I track other things, too?"

Marik shrugged. "You tell me. Actually, yeah, do that. We can experiment with the Ring and see what happens."

"Just like that? It's safe, right?"

"Oh, safe enough."

That was good enough for him. "Sounds perfect."

A quiet cough alerted him to Atem, standing a little ways away and watching them with every indication of amusement. "If you two are quite finished with your plans, we have more to talk about."

Marik flushed. It was fascinating to watch. "Right. Sorry, Prince." He beckoned to Ryou, heading back to the table and plopping down in a chair. Ryou trailed after him.

"Why did you call him that? Is he actually a prince?"

"Something like that." Atem waved him down. "Sit, Ryou. We have much to discuss."

His heart was racing again. Ryou sat and focused on Atem, conscious of Marik next to him, looking on with interest. "I'm listening."

"I suppose I'd better start at the beginning." Atem sighed.

***

They were getting close. Bakura could feel it, even though the streets were empty and silent.

Isis had been leading them around for the past hour, keeping to the back alleyways as they wound their way deeper into the city, towards the harbor, occasionally touching the Tauk for confirmation. They were heading straight for Pegasus, Isis had warned him not even a minute ago, telling him to be on his guard, as if he was ever off his guard. Honestly. The two of them faded back into the alleyways of the warehouse district, moving as silently as Atem's shadows. The smell of salt and fish carried on a cold breeze that whistled mournfully through the spaces between buildings. Isis didn't even flinch, long used to the chill in the air that came with this area of the world.

Bakura almost snarled as he heard footsteps ahead of him, made by people clearly trying hard to be quiet. He shook his head. Amateurs.

Fingers nimbly pulling out a knife and flipping it into a reverse grip, he glided forward, stopping only to orient himself before swinging around the corner, hands already moving. He slashed upward in a diagonal strike with the knife as his other hand grabbed the nearest arm in a crushing grip. He hooked the blade around the back of the man's neck and kneed him in the stomach as hard as he could before twisting on his heel and propelling him face first into the pavement. Even as he hit the ground, Bakura was already flitting ahead like a white-haired ghost, leaving the first man for Isis to finish off.

He kept his weight on the balls of his feet as he danced through the knot of figures dressed in black, Pegasus' logo sewn onto the breast pocket. At least they were being obvious about who they were working for.

He ducked easily under a sweeping arm, using his momentum to punch the man in the sternum with the hilt of the knife. He heard a strained grunt, then a crack, and then he was using his fist to shove the man into the ground for the others to trip over. He stomped on his ribs for good measure, and then the rest were on him.

His hands were a blur as he blocked fists and elbows with his blade, some of his attackers even having the presence of mind to draw their own knives before he could slash the tendons in their wrists. A scuff behind him had him turning, hand already flying up to grab the woman's arm and twist it out of the way as his knife hand shoved upward into her stomach, stripping her blade away from her hand as she gasped out a breath. Bakura threw the weapon as hard as he could and heard a cry of pain, bringing his other hand up to reinforce the one with the knife as he let another person run right into the path of his blade. He yanked it out almost as soon as it went in, droplets of blood flying around in an arc as he spun and twisted, hands turning aside strikes as easy as breathing. They were only caught off guard for a second, but a second has all he needed.

He brought up his hand to meet a punch with the edge of his blade when he heard the first gun cock off to his left. _About time._ Following through with the strike and slashing a line down his victim's arm and across the throat, he spun and looked directly down the barrel of a pistol.

Movement flickered in the corner of his eye, and he smiled.

Isis broke the gunman's elbow with one precise blow, grabbing the barrel and forcing it up, twisting it out of the man's grip as he shrieked in pain. She calmly shot another person through the foot before looking up and giving Bakura a withering look.

Someone else's blood was dripping off his face. He wiped at it with his sleeve and rolled his eyes at her, reluctantly putting his knife away.

Together, they made short work of the rest of the group, breaking bones and ripping tendons until the guards were all on the ground, unconscious or clutching their injuries. Isis called the hospital as Bakura wandered around, picking up weapons and tossing them into a pile. He pocketed a few when he was sure Isis wasn’t looking. Waste not, want not, and all that.

Isis put away her phone. "Let's go. There should be another group a few blocks to the west. And _keep it non-lethal._ We are not here to slaughter everyone."

"Right, right." Bakura had honestly forgotten about the way they did things. It didn't surprise him – force of habit had him slipping back into the mind-set of his earliest memories.

He rolled his shoulders. Those days were behind him now.

"Let's find Pegasus, then."

***

The video quality was pixilated and jerky, but still there; Yugi felt a wash of relief when Anzu's features appeared on the screen of his computer. She grinned giddily at him. He smiled back, relieved to see her after days of silence. Behind her, her tiny apartment was visible, brightly lit despite the late hour in New York.

"Hey, Yugi!"

"Anzu!" Yugi leaned forward to get a better view. "How's New York?"

Her face lit up. "Incredible! I have a few lessons set up, and I'm really hoping I'll make a good impression – there's a _shit ton_ of other dancers here."

Yugi laughed. He had missed her. "I'm sure you'll blow them all away," he said, only half-jokingly.

"Yeah, maybe." For a moment, her face faltered before she steeled herself. Yugi wished the video quality was better – not being able to see her expression very clearly made him feel awkward and off-balance. "I mean, it's only been a few days, so I can't say anything for sure." He didn't press. Even when he couldn't see her face very well, he knew when she wanted to drop the subject. She refocused on him. "So," she grinned, drawing out the word. "How's Atem?"

Yugi rolled his eyes. "You couldn't wait to ask that, could you? He's fine, and before you ask, yes, we're going on our date today."

"I _knew_ it! You had that look on your face!"

"What look? You can barely _see_ my face!"

"I don't need to, I've known you since birth."

And just like that, the stilted conversation fell back into the easy back and forth they had known for most of their lives. For the first time in days, Yugi felt completely relaxed.

"So how is everyone?"

"Well," he took a moment to think. "Jounouchi and Honda are fighting right now – apparently Jou tripped over one of Honda's motorbikes and he won't admit it. Ryuji is talking to more people about Dungeon Dice Monsters – he's really excited, but he's trying to play it cool for now. Ryou is his normal self."

"How's Grandpa?"

"He's the same – his back's been hurting a little more lately, I might have to take a few more afternoons off from the museum to help him with the shop." He frowned. "Y’know, speaking of that… I haven't seen Isis in a while, lately, not even with the new exhibit going up soon. I've been thinking about calling her to make sure everything's okay."

Anzu tilted her head. "Are you that worried?"

He forced a smile. "Of course not!"

"Yugi, come on."

"What?" He tried not to cringe.

"Tell me what's bothering you! I'm here for that, remember?"

He sighed. "Yeah, I know. It's just..." He shook his head. "It's stupid."

"Well, tell me anyway." His view of her face jerked around as she resettled her laptop. She looked at him expectantly, an expression he had seen a thousand times before. It was just as effective as the first time. He sighed.

"I've been having these dreams, okay?" The words hung in the air, and he wished he could take them back.

"Are they bad dreams?"

"Yeah, kinda." He rubbed the back of his neck. "They kind of skip around a lot, but the last couple I had were pretty bad."

"...does this have something to do with Isis?"

"Yeah, just... don't laugh, okay?" She nodded eagerly, even waving her hands in front of the screen to show that her fingers weren't crossed. Even as bothered as he was, Yugi had to bite back a smile. "In my dreams, I'm someone living in Ancient Egypt."

She gave him a look. "Well, that might be because you spend most of your time holed up in the archives when you're not in class."

He waved her off. "It's not normal Ancient Egypt. There's," he gestured with his hand. "I don't know how to put it. It's like magic, only it's made of shadows, and there are a bunch of golden artifacts that help concentrate it. The bad part is," he shivered," the artifacts are...wrong, somehow."

"What do you mean?"

"They just never feel right to me. Or, the dream me. They're...evil."

"And what about Isis?"

"Isis was in the dreams. She had one of them. A necklace. It was just as dark as the others. Every time I went to sleep, I had to see them again and I hated it. I could just feel that they were bad news."

"What changed? You say it like it's not happening anymore."

"Well, I died," he said matter-of-factly.

"Wait, what?"

"In the dream, I mean. I don't really remember much, but there was fighting, and I had to get rid of something, so I broke it into pieces. The weird part is, it looked just like that puzzle I was telling everyone about before you left. Even the box it was kept in. It was really weird. I died sealing it away."

"Well, that's...creepy."

"Yeah. And the worst part is? I know that I was leaving people behind. The last thing I heard was Isis coming in. She must've seen what was left."

"That's horrible..."

"I know. I feel so bad, even though it was just a dream."

"Well," she gave him a smile. "Now you can make sure nothing like that happens in real life, right? You have a choice."

A choice. Yugi swallowed. "I guess."

The conversation turned to other matters but, after signing off and promising to text her if anything changed, Yugi's mind went back to turning over Anzu's words. _I have a choice._

The words stayed with him for the rest of the day.

***

The apartment, after echoing with more voices than it had in some time, was now silent. Ryou fiddled nervously with his hands, trying to process what he had been told. Shadows. Magical items. Reincarnation. The balance of chaos and order, and the fight to maintain it that had lasted for millennia. _And I've just agreed to be involved._ His chest tightened at the thought. Excitement was paramount, but uncertainty undermined his eagerness to help.

He had almost forgotten the presence of the two people that had started everything. Atem was watching him sympathetically, like he could see Ryou's internal struggle to believe, while Marik, seemingly unable to stay still, had taken to wandering around again. Watching him, Ryou remembered the taste of metal on his tongue and didn't know what to think.

"We'll leave you to it, then." Atem stood up as Marik turned around in surprise.

"Wait, what?" He was silenced with a look. Atem moved silently toward the door, gesturing for Marik to follow. He did so reluctantly. Ryou watched them go, mind spinning.

"Think everything over. If you decide you truly would like to be part of this fight, Marik and I will be at the museum." Atem's voice was gentle as he closed the door. Their footsteps did not make any sound on the floor, and for a giddy instant, Ryou wondered if he hadn't just hallucinated the entire thing.

The ring was sitting innocently on the tabletop, still pointing in the same directions even as Ryou ran his fingers over it. The coolness of the gold was grounding, sending a slight shiver through his fingers in a way that couldn’t have just been from the temperature. Magical items. Something that had given him power of his own, because it had taken a shine to him. Ryou wondered what kind of people earned the power of the items. Was it just random, or was there a reason it had picked him, of all people?

He shook his head. Doubting himself would not get him very far. He got up, leaving the ring on the table and suppressing a strange reluctance to turn his back on it - now he remembered why he had hidden it away in the first place.

His hands went through the familiar motions of making himself a cup of tea, leaving his mind free to race around in excited circles. Atem had left him to think over what had been said, to decide if he really wanted to be part of this, on the front lines of the battle between order and chaos. It sounded so far away, a fantastical story told to him in his own, completely normal kitchen with its dusty shelves and dishes still out and waiting to be washed. Atem's face had been dead serious, and had had Ryou half convinced just listening to him. It became even harder to doubt with Marik's gaze on him as well, beseeching. It was only after Atem had fallen silent that reality seemed to assert itself. Atem had picked up on this, apparently, and left him alone to decide what he wanted to believe.

Ryou found himself rethinking his opinion of Atem. He could be overbearing, but at least he had left Ryou alone to really think about what it would mean to join them.

_"The war between order and chaos has been fought for millennia, and many have been lost because of it."_

He wondered, for a moment, how many people Atem had watched die. His eyes had been too sad and knowing to have lived an easy life.

_"My previous incarnation was that of a Pharaoh of Egypt. I died when my city was attacked. The Millennium Puzzle was shattered, the rest of the Items scattered."_

Marik had been still and quiet while Atem had told his story, only looking away when Atem had mentioned his own death.

_"Those who have lived previous lives can regain their memories with proximity to the Items. Marik has no such memories, but I regained mine when I was seven years old."_

Did he really want to learn what it was like, to fight such a battle? To see enough that his eyes became as deep and sorrowful as Atem's? He had no real inkling of what Atem’s age actually was, but he couldn't have been too much older than Ryou.

It really only sunk in when he considered the alternative.

_"You can help us, or you may give us the Ring for safekeeping, stay out of the fight, and live a normal life."_

Put like that, there was really only one decision he could make.

Ryou took a sip of tea as he glanced around his empty apartment. Comforting. Normal.

Boring.

At least, he mused as he placed his teacup on the counter, if he did become as jaded as Atem, he would be in good company.

The ring fit him like he had been wearing it for hours, settling against his skin and warming up almost instantly. The clinking of the needles sounded familiar and encouraging as he rushed to grab his keys. _This is it._ His fingers were trembling so hard that he could barely lock the door. He felt like he could run forever.

Ryou barely remembered his rush to the museum, too preoccupied by the pounding of his heartbeat in his throat and the weight of the ring under his shirt, smooth and sleek and already familiar. Even from a distance, he could see Marik loitering outside the museum, his face turned toward the ground, hands in pockets. Ryou made a beeline for him, only skidding to a halt when the blond man looked up.

"I'm in." He was breathless with more than just the effort it took to run.

Marik froze for a second, then sputtered out a response. "Really?"

"Really." Unbidden, a fierce smile spread across his face. "I believe what you guys told me. And... I want to fight."

He was met with an answering smile that drew closer as Marik came to stand directly in front of him. Ryou noticed with a shock that they were exactly the same height.

He barely felt Marik’s hand on the back of his neck as the man stepped up and kissed him full on the mouth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyyyyyyyyyy


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> THE TRUTH COMES OUT

It was time.

Yugi took a deep breath that tensed his shoulders even more. He was meeting Atem in five minutes for their date - an actual, real-live _date,_ something he hadn't been on since high school - and he was...well, he didn't know how he was. It wasn't nervousness – in fact, spending time with Atem felt natural enough that he might as well have been spending time with Jounouchi, or Anzu, or Ryou, only with a decidedly more romantic twist. 

No, the problem was that Atem was so far out of his league that it could span the distance between their respective countries. Yugi didn't think that there was anything wrong with his self-esteem, but Atem was on a completely different level. Something about him was just... _more,_ an extra edge to his bearing that drew attention to the kingly set of his shoulders and the toss of his head. Whereas Yugi spent his days in the archives, avoiding people and studying until his eyes crossed. He didn't see how a pairing like that could even work, no matter how much Anzu was rooting for them.

Yugi sighed. He wished she was here.

He checked the clock. Two minutes past the hour. Atem was late.

Maybe he had just been held up again, or...

Yugi refused to let himself think of the alternative. _Stay positive, dammit._ Of all the times to start worrying, why did it have to be now?

He finally, finally caught sight of Atem almost a minute later, looking out of breath and vaguely tired, pushing through the doors and scanning the museum crowd. Yugi had to fight down another bought of self-consciousness at the sight of him, trying to swallow around the lump in his throat. He hunched his shoulders and almost prayed that Atem wouldn't spot him waiting awkwardly in the corner. He felt, all of a sudden, very alone.

 _Keep your head up,_ his grandfather would instruct him and Jou, when they were both struggling their way through high school, Yugi fending off bullies and Jou weighed down by the expectations of his peers, _and don't slouch! You're just as good as the rest of them, I promise you. It's their fault if they can't see that._ Sugoroku always spoke with a practiced edge to his voice. Yugi wondered how many times he had had to repeat the same to himself, and felt a weak surge of proud defiance. He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Atem spotted him then and, as if to answer his thoughts, his face broke out into a relieved smile, as if he were afraid that _Yugi_ would be the one to stand him up.

They met up near the doors, Atem looking slightly sheepish. "Sorry I'm late. There was something that came up that couldn't be delayed."

"It's fine." If his voice was a tad more uncertain than usual, Atem was kind enough not to mention it. "Ready to go?"

"I'm ready, yes." Was there a trace of nervousness in his expression? Yugi couldn't tell. 

They fell into step almost immediately after exiting the museum. Yugi felt someone's gaze prickling between his shoulder blades as he walked, but when he turned around, it was only Marik. _What's his problem?_

The man watched him, eyes hard, before he nodded and turned away. Yugi felt oddly like he had passed some sort of test. 

"Sorry about him." Atem's voice broke the silence between them. He tried not to start – he should've known the other man would catch him looking. "Marik can be... protective."

"Protective?" Yugi was curious. "Of you? Why?"

Atem sighed. "My family has been a target, of sorts, for a very long time." He took Yugi's arm to steer him around a crowd of people clustered together on the sidewalk, Yugi following him easily.

"Really? How come?"

"We have a certain amount of... historical significance. There are more than a few unsavory groups that wish to take advantage of me in particular."

"Wait, what? Why you?"

"I'm sorry." Atem gave him a well-practiced smile. "This isn't really the best place to talk about it."

Yugi only noticed that Atem was still holding his arm when he let go, long legs eating up the sidewalk with every stride. Yugi stared at his back for a brief instant before he remembered to follow, confusion spinning his thoughts into a disorganized jumble. Clearly he had said the wrong thing and made Atem uncomfortable enough to fall silent. Chancing a glance at the other man, he found him avoiding his gaze, hands in pockets and shoulders stiff. He was reminded of Ryou whenever anyone tried to ask him about his father. Yugi felt slightly ashamed.

He was about to try saying something, anything, to try to bring the conversation back to firmer ground, but Atem beat him to it.

"I... apologize. I don't have any experience with this kind of thing." He tried for a rueful smile, but it was obvious how much it cost him to admit the fact. "I'm not sure what one does on a date, but I doubt it has anything to do with bringing back painful memories."

Yugi nodded in easy acceptance, taking the hint and dropping the subject. He took a moment to formulate his response, focusing on something else Atem had said, something that intrigued him. "So...you've never been on a date?" He kept his voice light and teasing, though the rest of him burned with curiosity. Someone like Atem with his charm and his confidence, never been asked on a _date?_

Atem slowly shook his head. "Living in the place I do is not exactly conducive to meeting new people. And.." He trailed off, gaze sliding away. "Well. I'm not exactly dating material."

"Of course you're dating material! I mean, we're on a date right now."

"That's not what I meant. I...suppose you should know, before we take this any further." That awful tension was back. Atem had stopped walking, and Yugi felt his eyebrows draw together in concern.

"Atem? What's wrong?"

"I-" Atem was looking even more distressed the longer he could not find his words. "If you want to- I mean...." He huffed out a breath, annoyed, and looked Yugi straight in the eye. "I don't... like sex. At all," he said. "I believe the term is 'asexual'."

"Okay?" Yugi waited for the rest of it. When nothing was forthcoming, he tried prodding a bit, just a little, as Atem looked like he might run away if Yugi said the wrong thing. "Is that... bad?"

"You tell me." Atem was watching him carefully, and Yugi swallowed, troubled.

"Atem, that's fine. Seriously." He stumbled over his words, trying to reassure and inform at the same time. "It's totally okay." Atem hadn't moved. Yugi tried again. "Thank you. I mean, for telling me."

"You're not... upset?"

Yugi was genuinely confused. "Why would I be upset?"

Atem shifted. "I get the impression that one usually goes on dates with the expectation of... well, you know."

"Oh. I- sorry. If I made you feel that way, I mean. I haven't really dated much either." The rigidity in Atem's expression was melting away into calm; the way it made him that much more attractive was unfairly distracting.

"Don't worry about it." Atem's voice was warm, and so was Yugi's face. Apparently the nervous fumbling that came naturally to him wasn't something to remark upon. Even as they walked, he felt something inside his chest unknot itself.

They started down the sidewalk again, both of them easily keeping pace. The silence, this time, was comfortable.

"So," Atem said, after a while. "Would you mind if I asked you what you are working on, with Isis?"

Yugi's eyes lit up.

***

"-and so the rest of the papyrus is stored in folders when it's not in use in the exhibits – I've heard that some rolls have been stored in containers for _decades-_ but anyway, direct contact with the glass enclosure is discouraged because of sodium chloride and vegetable carbohydrate buildup, so most of them are mounted on paper to keep them away from the surface of the-" he paused for breath. "...Why are you smiling at me like that?"

Atem was grinning in a way Yugi would almost call fond. "No reason." His shoulders were loose and relaxed, Yugi noticed for the first time since he had started talking. He flushed. 

"I –ah, sorry if I got a little carried away." He ran a hand over his hair sheepishly, feeling it spring back into shape. "Usually Isis is the only one who will listen to me for this long."

Atem waved a hand. "I've been on the receiving end of some of Isis's rants. I'm used to it," he said. "You're a bit more exciting to listen to, though."

It was suddenly hard to meet Atem's gaze. Yugi turned his head away to hide his smile, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks, I guess." Delight curled in his chest and warmed his whole body as they brushed shoulders. "So.. I guess you've pretty much figured out what I'm passionate about." Yugi laughed self-depreciatingly. 

"You're very knowledgeable." Atem's voice was smooth, and Yugi ducked his head and grinned up at him through the screen of his hair.

"And what about you? What sort of things do you like?" Now that the tension between them had melted away several streets ago, Yugi was genuinely curious about Atem, only now realizing just how little he knew about the other man. It was a reminder that, despite their ease around each other, they were barely more than strangers. Yugi was surprised to find that the thought hurt, in some deep, inexplicable way. He _wanted_ to know the person walking next to him, a wanting that reminded him of the thirst for information he associated with new shipments of artifacts and forgotten books hidden deeply in the corners of the museum archives.

There was a certain type of information that Yugi marked as valuable, to be remembered and given a place at the forefront of his mind. Most of it had to do with the archives and what Isis had taught him; Atem had apparently fallen headlong into that same category.

Atem seemed taken aback at his question. "I- well I have an interest in... mythology, I suppose."

Yugi perked up. Now _that_ was something he hadn't known. "Mythology? Like what?"

"Well." Atem was fumbling. Yugi waited patiently. "I have studied many stories about the Egyptian kings since I was young."

"Stories?"

"Yes. Most of them concerning... _legends_ about the magic that the pharaohs were said to possess, and their place in the cycle of reincarnation."

"That sound so interesting!" Yugi had never heard of such stories, not even from Isis, and his curiosity returned in full force.

A slow smile. The confidence was back, in the set of his shoulders and the mischievous grin. "Would you like to hear one?"

"Sure! What's it about?"

"It's about... well, it's about a king." _It's about more than that,_ his eyes seemed to say as he looked Yugi over, considering. Yugi tilted his head and watched as Atem's gaze warmed at the gesture. "Let me tell you..."

***

_There was a king, yes, he remembered. There was a king, and his court. And then there was someone else, blurry and unreal like all of the memories from the last few years before his death._

_He knew them well, could identify each of their voices with his eyes closed. With half a thought he could rattle off their names and their Items and the order in which they stood, a solid wall holding fast behind him even as the darkness eventually drowned them out._

We are with you.

_And there was one other, wasn't there, the last to arrive but the first to fight the shadows, to banish them with a kind smile and a handful of light._

_The light was what he could recall the clearest, out of everything._

_He remembered purple and black and white, with bright sparks trailing from dark fingers and_ look at this, look at what I can do.

Look at what I'll do for you.

_And then..._

_Well._

_And then._

_One of them had seen, they told him later, much later when he was a child who had died once already, with memories too big for his head. She saw them all, arrayed in a circle, with him at the front and, at his side, a figure with a smile and a handful of light._

_Isis's visions were cloudy sometimes, but they were never wrong._

_How could he doubt, after that?_

***

Atem could feel himself relaxing the longer they were away from the museum, walking around and just enjoying each other's company in the same way they had been in the past few weeks. He would never admit it, but he had been worried that Yugi would grow tired of waiting, disillusioned from having to cancel one of their dates already. It was with an embarrassing amount of relief that he found that he had been wrong.

They returned to the museum after some time. Atem wasn't keeping track, he was _busy._ Busy trading stories back and forth with Yugi, talked so easily that he kept forgetting his anxiety over the fact that this was a _date._

But it was okay. It was okay – there was no reason to be nervous, he could see that now. The wariness he had absentmindedly been nurturing since the moment Yugi had agreed to go out with him was gone like shadows in the daylight, and he couldn't believe how easy it was to open up to this person who was confusing and alluring all at once. He hadn't expected to find someone like Yugi, but he had, and he was prepared to make the most out of it before reality asserted itself and things started going wrong again.

He was laughing at some joke Yugi had made when he pushed open the door to the back rooms, only noticing the room's occupant when the door closed behind them. Isis spun around when she heard them, looking uncharacteristically disheveled, her eyes holding a feral, angry glint that he had only seen in her brother. The fabric in front of the Millennium Tauk around her throat was scorched and black, the fibers powdery and thin with burns. The barest hint of gold gleamed behind the cloth.

Atem never found out what, exactly, Isis was about to say. His tongue froze around a worried question when he noticed the other person in the room.

"Atem Sennen. We have been waiting for you." The man spoke in American-accented English, his voice full of poorly concealed amusement. Behind him, Atem could hear Yugi draw in a sharp breath, for embedded in the man's head was an eye made of gold, glinting coldly at them from across the room.

The shadows leapt up at his call eagerly, only held in check by Atem's wariness at starting a fight with Yugi there and the rest of the museum guests only one room away. The tendrils of shadow coiled back on themselves tightly, disappointed. Pegasus watched all of this with a faint smile.

"No need for that, boy." He waved his hand airily and Atem's teeth ground together. "We are on friendly terms, yes?"

"That's up to you." Atem shot back evenly, crossing his arms and taking a step forward so that he and Isis were between Pegasus and Yugi. If this came down to a fight, the two of them should be able to hold Pegasus off until Yugi could call for help. "After all, we did not invite you here." Atem could hear Yugi starting to shift uncomfortably, and prayed to all the gods that he would have the sense to stay back.

"Yes, I _do_ apologize for that, though you could hardly blame me. Once I heard of the Millennium Items being moved here, I just had to come and see it for my own, you understand." His eye slid to Isis, whose lip curled. "I see you two have been busy. " The Eye flickered. "A desperate attempt to complete the Puzzle, poorly thought out and doomed to fail. Attacking me the moment I arrive in the city. All rather irresponsible, don't you think? I expected more from the Pharaoh reborn and the holder of the Millennium Tauk."

"Enough." Isis's voice was the crack of a whip where Pegasus's was all smooth honey. "You will tell us why you are here, and then you will be on your way, even if we have to encourage you to do so." Her voice brooked no arguments.

Pegasus merely threw back his head and laughed dramatically. If Atem were a different person, he would have rolled his eyes. "Oh, do slow down. We are all friends here, are we not? Speaking of..." His gaze slid past Atem and onto Yugi. Atem stiffened, but Yugi only tilted his head curiously. "And who is this?" Pegasus easily slipped into Japanese, taking a step forward, the very image of a polite businessman. The shadows behind Atem loomed dangerously.  _Just give me one reason, and you're dead,_ he thought coldly, knowing Pegasus could hear him. The man did not flinch, instead looking past him with an expectant expression.

Visibly uncomfortable, Yugi cautiously came forward to stand next to Atem. "Hello. My name is Yugi Mutou. I work here in the museum." He bowed politely, and seemed relieved when Pegasus did the same.

"Ah, Yugi-boy, then. A pleasure to meet you." Pegasus was turning on the charm, although Yugi, for some reason, wasn't falling for it. Atem didn't delude himself into thinking that Yugi could sense what was going on – something else was wrong. It was apparent in the way Yugi stared at Pegasus's face as though he had seen a nightmare. From where Atem was standing, he could see Yugi's hands start to shake.

He felt the cold prickle of the shadows at his feet as they reacted to his anger at his _complete fucking inability to do anything._ He bit back a snarl.

"I'm sorry." Yugi shifted his gaze shyly; a nervous smile was on his face. "Who did you say you were?"

"Of course, my mistake," said Pegasus spoke as if he had been expecting the question. For all his mind reading, he might very well have been. "My name is Pegasus Crawford, and I am an old associate of Miss Ishtar and Mr. Sennen. We used to work together on matters pertaining to certain Egyptian artifacts. I'm sure Isis has mentioned me?"

"Not really – but she hasn't said much about what she did before she came here."

"A shame. We worked well together." He clasped his hands together and turned to Isis. "That was actually what I came to speak to you about. I have an interest in renewing our acquaintance."

"Our acquaintance." Isis's voice was flat. Pegasus, of course, didn't seem to notice.

"Yes, that. We've benefited from the arrangement before, you recall."

"That was before you-" she cut herself off, glancing at Yugi, who frowned. Isis drew herself up. "I... apologize, but we are not interested in anything you have to offer."

"Yes, but-"

Atem stepped forward. "Our answer is no, Pegasus." The man narrowed his remaining eye at him, but Atem stood firm, the shadows that each of them called forward snapping and writhing in the corners of his vision. They were eager to see blood, and Atem was going to make sure that it would be no one's but Pegasus's. The tension spiked.

"Um?" Yugi blanched when all three of them flinched and turned to look at him, startled. "Sorry to interrupt, but what exactly is going on?"

Silence. Atem and Isis exchanged desperate glances. They couldn't do much about Pegasus with Yugi in the room, not without giving up more secrets than they wanted to give.

Pegasus stepped forward, waving a placating hand. "Just a disagreement between old friends, Yugi-boy. Nothing to worry about." He tucked his hands behind his back. "I was only thinking of becoming more involved with the museum, helping with the funding and the artifacts, that's all. I-hm." He was suddenly _very_ focused on Yugi, Atem and Isis all but forgotten. Atem growled, but his hands were tied with Pegasus so close to Yugi, and Pegasus knew it.

The man in question barely spared him a backward glance before his gaze zeroed back in on Yugi, who was shifting uncomfortably where he stood. _What's his plan?_ Atem looked back at Isis, who nodded and stood ready. The shadows swirled, sensing a break in Atem's control, and he allowed it, gathering himself for an attack.

Pegasus was still talking, a darkly amused glint in his eye. "I'm very interested in some of your newest acquisitions, particularly a certain game I believe came to the museum a few weeks ago. You might know it as a golden puzzle?"

Yugi's face turned very pale. Atem's concentration nearly broke from sheer confusion. _What is he talking about- what does Yugi have to do with the Puzzle?_

"I-" Yugi's gaze darted around the room. Pegasus smiled even wider.

"I think you know what I'm talking about, Yugi-boy." He started to pace, Atem almost forgetting to keep the shadows back as he watched, too busy with the refrain of _what does he know, what's going on_ running through his head. He had never seen Yugi this nervous, and his hackles rose at the sight. He couldn't shake the feeling that he and Isis were being caught completely off guard, and there was nothing they could do about it but wait.

"Do you really think Isis was going to forgive you for _smashing one of her most valuable artifacts?_ Honestly, I'm surprised she hasn't called the police on you yet."

Atem was almost too distracted watching the scene play out in front of him to remember pay attention to Pegasus's words, but something about what he was saying caught his interest. _Is he..._

"Were you even thinking of what would happen if they found out you had your hands all over the Puzzle?"

"Yugi!" Isis took a step forward as Yugi retreated, mouth forming a weak denial even as defeat shone in his eyes.

"Isis, I'm... sorry." He shook his head and turned away.

"Yugi, wait!" Isis cast an imploring look at Atem and he nodded at her, shifting so that he was between Pegasus and the door while Isis went after Yugi.

"Alone at last." Pegasus's voice was heavy with satisfaction. His hand raised to rub at the Eye, an unconscious gesture. “I've been waiting a long time to speak to you like this, Atem. Tell me," here he paused, and Atem shifted into a ready stance, the shadows rising behind him, ready for anything. "How much do you remember of your previous life, _Pharaoh?_ Do you remember being defeated? Do you remember _dying?_ How much of that are you willing to go through again, just to keep me away from the Items?"

Despite every instinct screaming at him not to rise to the bait, Atem bit out a response. "There is very little I would not do to keep my people safe." His confidence grew with the shadows that flowed up the walls, and he took a step forward. "You are a direct threat to them and what they stand for, and I will see that threat taken care of. I will give you one chance to leave peacefully."

"I don't think so, boy." He didn't bother to answer to that, instead studying the man across from him, searching for a weakness. His power over the shadows was born with him and was therefore stronger, but Pegasus had a Millennium Item. It would be a close battle, and for a moment he regretted sending Isis away.

He prayed that she would return with Yugi in tow before it was too late.

The shadows shifted, coiling to attack, and Atem brought them under control with one hard twist. _Not yet._

He had to ask.

"Is this really worth it? Giving up everything, just to see them again?" His voice gentled. "If you just give back the Eye-"

"Enough." Pegasus snapped, but there was sorrow in his voice. He sighed. "I'm sorry, Atem, but I have to do this."

Atem nodded. "I'm sorry as well." Almost before he finished speaking, a needle of darkness speared the floor where he had been standing a moment before. The fight had begun, apparently. Pegasus never did like playing fair.

 _And neither do I._ He took a short breath – _one, two –_ gathered the darkness around himself, and _lunged._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All of the info about storing papyrus comes from here : http://cool.conservation-us.org/coolaic/sg/bpg/annual/v13/bp13-10.html. Yugi is an adorable nerd.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Puzzle is complete

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaaaaaauhh college is kicking my butt BUT i got this chapter out! I would like to thank both ashethehedgehog and manicpixiedreampharaoh on tumblr for keeping me motivated! and, of course, an extra thank you to ashe for being a great beta

Atem's plan for a frontal attack ended the moment Pegasus struck back, raising his hand imperiously as soon as he took the first step forward.

Atem slipped to the side, dodging a shred of darkness that scraped against the floor with an unearthly shriek. He sent a silent apology to Isis for the state her office would be in by the time their fight was over. A second later, he had to duck another shadow that came spinning his way, biting back curses in three languages as he struggled to regain his footing. With a mental wrench, Atem ripped at the darkness that loomed behind him, sending a seething wall toward his opponent, and was rewarded with a curse when Pegasus had to dodge, trailing blackness the entire way. Atem clenched his fists and felt his magic respond, darkening the corners of the room as it coiled to attack.

Pegasus was fast, faster than he could hope to be, but Atem had been born with shadows in his blood, and he called on them now.

They answered with a chorus of quiet hisses, appearing by his side and at his feet with their customary grace. Subtly flicking a finger, Atem sent one of the smaller shadows ghosting across the floor, a blurry, barely visible patch of darkness as the rest of the shadows reared up above, ready to swarm around Pegasus with razor edges and hungry whispers.

It took a bare instant for him to realize something was wrong in the way Pegasus stood calmly, a small smile quirked on his face even as his feet were braced apart. Atem had no time to hesitate, and he let the shadows go.

Gold flashed, and the darkness flowed to a halt.

_The Eye! Shit!_

Atem backpedaled frantically, calling back the shadows with a flick of his wrist. They were slow to respond, sluggish, like they were fighting against something as inexorable as the tide. The smaller shadow that Atem had sent ahead of its brethren struggled to keep its form as his concentration wavered.

Pegasus's smile widened, and the shadows writhed sleekly in Atem's grip. With the power of the Eye and his acquired control over shadow magic, Atem's opponent was proving to be more than a match for him. He gritted his teeth and silently begged Isis to hurry up.

His control over the darkness, precariously balanced at best, stuttered and shook as he renewed his grip on the shadows, scrabbling desperately for a foothold in the wall of darkness that seethed in front of him.  Atem had never thought of the shadows as one entity; each of them were somehow distinct, a different flavor of darkness, all hungering for separate things even as they wound their voices into one. Thanks to Pegasus's influence, controlling all of them was like trying to catch fish with his bare hands; every time he opened his fingers to grab more, the ones he had already grasped would slip out.

He snarled wordlessly as they grappled for control. Pegasus was glaring now, the strain evident on his face, and Atem dared to spare enough energy for a grin. It was wiped from his face, however, when he felt Pegasus's influence receding, an ominous feeling growing in his chest as he ripped at the shadows under his control to prepare for whatever the man was planning. The Eye flashed again, brighter this time, and deep within his mind, Atem felt something _snap._

He didn't register the pain at first; the shadows were cold enough that it registered as numbness first, the dangerous lack of feeling from being cut with a shard of ice. The pain came later, spreading out from the breach in his mind like blood flowing from a cut, dark and heavy. The shadows were coming loose.

Somewhere off in the distance, his hands were pressed to the ground, trying to steady himself as streaks of shadow blew haphazardly past his fingers. Atem abstractly became aware that he was shivering violently. His head felt cloudy and lighter than air.

It was strange, he thought, in a vague, dreamlike way, that it would be so hard to lift his gaze when his head felt so very weightless.

Pegasus was bent over, clutching his face while red-tinted tears fell from his golden Eye. He was grinning, ferocious and frightful, and the shadows whipped around both of them, out of control. If it weren't for the roaring in his ears, Atem thought he might have heard Pegasus's laughter over the deadly-silent susurrus of the darkness. It was no wonder that no one outside had realized something was wrong

"Atem?"

The shadows were hissing malevolently, uncertain of which master to follow. Atem tried to grasp for control, but his mind was too numb with shock and cold to even begin.

" _Atem!"_

For some reason, his thoughts jumped to Marik, waiting outside the museum for Ryou with no idea what was happening. His thoughts were too clouded for another prayer, but hope itself was a simple enough concept.

_"Hey!"_

He only became aware of how loud the white noise was against his ears when it started to lessen. Other sounds trickled in, and Atem fancied that he heard footsteps.

"You _bastard-"_

The pressure on his mind shrank to a pinprick, and Atem looked up.

Marik was standing in the doorway of Isis's office, body angled toward Pegasus. Next to him stood Ryou, clutching the Millennium Ring, his face tight. One of the needles on the Ring was pointing straight at Pegasus.

" _Back. Off."_ Marik gritted out, fists clenched in either anger or mental strain. Given the power that Pegasus had showcase mere moments earlier, it could have been either. The Ring flared, and Ryou jumped, looking down at the Item around his neck like it had burned him.

Pegasus scoffed, but his eyes were trained on the Ring as he slowly started backing up. Apparently even he wasn't fool enough to face Atem _and_ the Ring at the same time. The thought brought little comfort.

A sharp word behind him jerked his attention around, and he cursed himself for the oversight. Of course Pegasus had brought backup. He wasn't so arrogant to think he could win on his own.

Underestimating his enemy would not get him very far, or help him stay alive when he got there.

The door clicked shut.

"Prince!"

Marik's hands were warm on his shoulders. Out of the corner of his eye, Atem caught sight of a shock of white hair as Ryou knelt by uncertainly.

"M'okay." Atem managed through numb lips. By the way Marik's grip tightened, he wasn't very convincing. "Isis. Did you... see Isis?"

"Isis?" Marik shook his head. "She must have left out the back way..." Confusion tugged his eyebrows together. "Why did she leave?"

Atem looked back at his hands, trying to regain his equilibrium. Whatever Pegasus had done, it had shaken him worse than anything had in a living memory. "She went after Yugi." He recalled wide purple eyes shining with guilt, a stuttered apology. "He was the one who solved the Puzzle."

"I- _Yugi?"_

"Yes." Atem tried not to be annoyed. It was... difficult. He pushed himself up on shaky arms and Marik jumped eagerly to help him. Between the two of them, they managed to get Atem upright.

"What did he _do?"_ Marik asked, his hands hovering awkwardly. "I mean, I couldn’t see much from where I was standing, but it looked like-"

"Pegasus can control the shadows better than I." Atem's voice was firm. "He broke my concentration, and the darkness started to rampage out of control. Thank you for showing up when you did." Marik nodded distractedly as he processed this.

“Um…sorry to interrupt.” Ryou’s voice was hesitant. “But are we going after him?”

Atem looked. The Ring was pointing insistently to the left with enough force that the entire artifact was almost leaning in the same direction. Even as he watched, however, the needle began to waver, seeming to lose certainty before drooping.

“Leave it.” Atem decided tiredly. “He’ll come back eventually, and we need to be better prepared.” His heritage as Pharaoh ensured his voice was steady and sure, even as his insides twisted with uncertainty. Atem stood up straighter despite his uncertain footing and mentally told his body to shut up and deal.

"We need to find Bakura. Marik, Ryou, can you see if you can track him?"

"I can try." Now that he had made his decision to join them, Ryou's face was set. He seemed to take what he had seen well in stride. Atem was glad for him.

"What about you, Prince?"

"I will stay here and wait for Isis." As much as every fiber of his being wanted to search for Bakura and reassure himself that his old friend was all right, he knew he had to stay and control the shadows once the Puzzle was complete. _Let's just hope this is worth it._ "Please make sure Bakura isn't hurt. If you need to take him to the hospital, don't hesitate. We can think up an explanation for his injuries later. And make sure no more of Pegasus's lackeys are around."

Marik's expression was somewhere between fond and exasperated. "All right, all right. Consider it done." Atem thought he heard Marik mutter _mother hen_ under his breathe, and ignored it with extreme dignity.

"Good luck, you two."

***

"Yugi!"

He had paused long enough for her to catch up with him. In hindsight, running had been a pretty stupid idea, but he was panicking and it was all he had.

Time to face the music.

Yugi sighed and turned around as her footsteps slowed, silently thanking whatever god was listening that the street was empty. He did _not_ want to make a scene of him getting fired, not when they were only a few blocks from his house.

"Hey, Isis. Sorry." His voice was quiet.

"I should hope so!" He cringed as she raised an eyebrow, and then it all came spilling out.

"Look, I already know how fired I am so I'll just... I mean, ok so _yes,_ I knocked the puzzle over, and I know it was probably pretty important, and I'm _sorry_ I smashed it, but I put it back together! And I never meant to keep it for so long, only it was pretty hard to put together, so, I guess, don't press charges, please? I mean, not that you don't have every right to, I was just-"

"Yugi." Isis said, and she was smiling, why was she _smiling?_ "Are you _seriously_ apologizing for-" She broke off and shook her head. She was still smiling. It was starting to freak Yugi out, a little.

"Wh- are you _laughing?" What the hell is going on?_

"No, I just- okay yes." She bent over, her hand pressed to her mouth, shoulders shaking. Yugi watched uncomfortably, wondering how much trouble he would be in if he just made a break for it now. Clearly Isis was so angry that she was losing it. Or something.

Isis straightened up with a relieved smile on her face, and then...

"Yugi, you have _nothing_ to apologize for."

Dimly, he was aware that he was probably staring rudely. "I- wha? But, but I knocked over an artifact! And I broke it into little tiny pieces and probably got fingerprints all over the gold, and did I mention it was made of _gold?_ How the hell am I not in trouble?"

Isis was looking at him kindly even as her lips twitched. "You didn't break anything, Yugi. It was already in pieces. In fact, I don't think it's been solved in thousands of years."

_Wait, what?_

"You have done us a great favor, Yugi Mutou."

Yugi stared for a full ten seconds. "So...I'm not in trouble?" He asked weakly.

She smiled again. "No, you're not. In fact, I'd like to thank you."

"….Oh." He wasn't sure what else to say. In all of the time spent worrying over being discovered, he had never expected... well, _this._

"Why don't we go back to the museum and talk." Isis offered. "We have the last piece of the puzzle. You may finish it yourself. Come."

Yugi stared blankly at Isis before she raised an eyebrow and he remembered to follow, ears burning.

They fell into step, finding a rhythm to their paces that filled the silence between them. As he walked, he poked at everything he knew about the puzzle. It was a distressingly small collection of facts.

"Isis?" Yugi's voice was tentative.

"Yes?"

"Could you tell me - what's the history of the Puzzle?"

She smiled at him, and Yugi relaxed. This was familiar territory for them: Isis talking about their shared passion, and Yugi listening eagerly, absorbing all he could.

"Put simply, the Puzzle belonged to an ancient pharaoh, who passed the artifact down to his son after his death. We know it was made to keep chaos at bay by using its own dark magic against it known as shadows magic. The pharaoh's son was a renowned master of this magic."

Yugi frowned. Isis continued, as if speaking about magic and shadows was something they did on a regular basis.

"Then, upon the son's death, the Puzzle was shattered. Some say it was because the burden of the darkness became too much for the artifact. There are many different accounts, however."

"And... what do you believe?"

"I am not entirely sure," she admitted, "but I do believe the breaking of the Puzzle was not an accident. Either way, I expect to find out the truth soon."

"The truth? What do you mean?" Isis had never spoken like this before. Yugi had always thought she seemed so logical, meticulous and careful in her research. Hearing her now, speaking of ancient magics like they were just another part of history, left him feeling off-balance.

"Don't worry about it, Yugi." She gave him another smile, something assessing in her gaze that he hadn't seen for a long time. "We will all find out soon enough."

***

Isis's office smelled faintly of damp, the same kind of smooth, wet darkness found on mossy stones. Yugi almost tripped over a gouge in the floor, but Isis didn't seem to notice any of it. She led him to the very back of the room, where piles of books wrapped in dusty paper covered the back half of the wall.

A quiet clearing of a throat yanked Yugi's attention to the wall nearby, and Atem's red gaze fell on him. Yugi stopped dead, unable to resist the urge to freeze. Atem smiled tiredly at him, and he relaxed slightly. At least he didn't seem to hold Yugi's urge to flee against him.

The safe-deposit box was sleekly modern next to the neat stacks of aging books, almost hidden in the farthest corner of the room. Isis knelt in front of it, blocking the metal surface with her body as she clicked away at the lock. Yugi looked idly around the office, feeling awkward and out of place and  hyperaware of Atem standing close by. Were those streaks of ash against the wall?

"Yugi."

He looked at Isis, eyes wide, before his gaze slowly lowered to the gleaming surface of the puzzle. It seemed too pristine and untouched, now that he knew its story, a too-solid hunk of metal that held an impossible history. The gold quickly started warming up against his palms.

Atem rummaged in his pocket for a moment before his fingers were brushing against Yugi's as he dropped a heavy piece of gold into his hand, warm from the heat of his body. It was the last piece of the puzzle, the jagged outlines a perfect fit for the dark hole in the center of the pyramid.

Yugi hesitated.

He felt two pairs of eyes searing into him as he shakily positioned the piece in place, the sharp corners pressing into his fingers. Something inside of him, in the back of his mind where dreams came from, was telling him that completing the puzzle would mean something important, something game-changing.

He swallowed. _Well, I've come this far._ He couldn't deny his burning curiosity any longer, and he would have bet a couple of fingers that Isis and Atem felt the same way.

Metal clinked. The piece slid home with a tiny chime of metal, quietly underwhelming. The puzzle was finished.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >:^)


	12. Interlude: Tracker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which there is A Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew here is the next chapter finally!!! sorry this one's so short, but thankfully the next one is coming along pretty well, so hopefully that will be soon! as always love and hugs go to my awesome beta ashethehedgehog!

"Try to concentrate."

Ryou bit back his annoyance as he nodded and focused his attention back on the ring. The needles chimed merrily, bright and sharp and completely useless. They all hung loosely, except for the lone needle pointing back to the museum, and even that was beginning to droop as they drew farther away.

They had been searching for Bakura for a while now, trying to find where he had hidden himself away, as Marik had put it. He had assured Ryou that Bakura could take care of himself, and had done so for years, but after the third unanswered phone call, Ryou could see the subtle bite of worry in the lines of Marik's face.

"Anything?" Marik had been getting more impatient the longer they were left wandering the streets with no sign of Bakura. Ryou tried not to hold it against him – he was worried, and he had a right to be. It would be nice if he showed a little faith, though.

Marik had wondered out loud if he could sense other things besides the other items, using the ring's power. Ryou had promised to try, and then had concentrated on everything he knew about Bakura.

His head came up.

"This way."

There was _something_ there, some whisper in the back of his mind that pointed away, off in the distance, something that told him _there therethere_ in an endless refrain. The more he tried to concentrate on the ring, the louder the sounds became.

Ryou knew objectively that Marik was probably following along, but he couldn't sense anything other than what was in front of him – the trail he was following blocked out anything else. Excitement rose in his chest, and, as important as he knew their destination to be, he couldn't help dreading the end of the trail, the conclusion of the chase.

He started walking progressively faster, vaguely aware that he was leading them deeper into the warehouse district, taking turns sharp enough that his shoes screeched on the concrete.

Marik shouted something right next to his ear. Ryou jumped at the sound and looked up, startled.

Bakura was leaning against the wall just ahead, a grimace on his face. Blood dripped lazily from a long cut on his neck, the color a bright warning against his dusky skin.

Marik brushed past him and went straight for Bakura, hands hovering uncertainly. They lapsed into rapid Arabic, voices low and urgent. Ryou looked away, uncomfortable, the ring dangling from his hand.

After everything, he still didn't know how to act around these two. Marik had kissed him, yes, so he was clearly interested, but what about Bakura? What the hell was he supposed to say?

He blinked back to the present to watch Bakura shake his head at Marik's attempts to help him walk. They had switched back to English when Ryou hadn't been paying attention, and the white-haired man was grumbling something under his breath. Ryou's eyebrows drew together. What did he mean, the 'second fucking time'?

Their eyes met, and Ryou jerked his head. Bakura nodded at him and turned to Marik.

"Not that I'm not glad to see both of you, but what's Ryou doing here?"

Ryou cleared his throat and held up the ring that was still warm from the heat of his hand, holding back a grin. He didn't expect Bakura to laugh.

"I fucking knew it!"

"Ryou's going to be joining the club." Marik said, unnecessarily.

Ryou felt a familiar thrill at the words. "That's right. I'm in." His chest felt tight with a feeling he couldn't define as he looked at the both of them. He cleared his throat and looked away.

He still felt odd, having volunteered for a task he didn't fully understand, with people he barely knew. Odd yet familiar, perpetually standing on the outskirts, a feeling that was comforting only because it was well known to him. Besides spending time with his friends – _Yugi's_ friends, he reminded himself - belonging was something he had never known for real.

Marik spoke up. "We need to get back to the museum. The others are worried."

"Don't I know it," Bakura grumbled. Marik let him go, and he straightened up, touching careful fingers to his throat. He grimaced as they came away dripping.

Ryou started walking when the other two did, holding the ring in his hands for lack of anything better to do. This far away from the museum, there was only a faint tilt to one of the needles, which Marik had mentioned was due to another one of the items – a necklace. He smoothed his fingers over the gold, distracted. The more he concentrated on the lone needle, the more he could almost feel another tug pulling him in that very direction.

It would take some getting used to.

He didn't even notice the hushed voices getting closer until they were right in front of him.

"So." A voice sounded next to his ear, and he jumped, barely refraining from cursing.

"Don't _do_ that!"

"Sorry, sorry." Marik looked only remotely sorry. Ryou had never realized there could be such a thing as fond irritation. He was learning all kinds of things today. "I just wanted to say – we should talk."

He had a feeling that he knew where this was going. "Talk?"

"About… us."

" _Now?"_

Marik shrugged and shared a look with Bakura. "We might not get another chance."

Ryou eyed both of them. One of his thumbs rubbed the flat side of the ring, a nervous tick. "...All right."

A hand on his back got him moving again, and he fell into step with the two on either side of him. He kept his focus on Marik, who took a deep breath.

"I wanted to say – sorry about kissing you like that. I kind of wasn't thinking."

"It's fine." It was more than fine, but Ryou didn't say that. "Go on."

"Marik and I are involved," came Bakura's voice, and with some difficulty, Ryou turned to look at him. His face felt hot.

"Right." Dread was a heavy curl in his stomach. "I- I'm sorry if I-"

"Ryou." Marik shook his head. "That's not what we mean." He and Bakura shared a look. Marik looked back at Ryou, purple eyes entreating.

"I’d like to date you too, if that's okay."

There was a ringing in his ears. "What?"

Marik eyed him. "I'd like to date you too," he repeated. "And Bakura. At the same time. Does that make sense?"

Ryou barely realized he had stopped walking. "...oh."

They were watching him. "Um."

Bakura took pity on him. "C'mon, let's go. You can think about it along the way.”

Ryou started walking again, mind whirling. The other two were silent.

_Think about it._

He was attracted to Marik, he knew that. He had been since the first day the man had walking into the library. The two of them were... confusing. They were close, that was obvious, and they could certainly be annoying, if that night he and Yugi had run into them was any indication. But he couldn't deny there was _something_ there, something exciting and warm that spoke to him of potential. He could see himself welcoming it into his life. He could see himself taking a gamble.

Ryou wondered if he was a little tired of sitting on the sidelines.

He blinked back to the present. They had exited the warehouse district, and the roads were starting to look more familiar. He took a deep breath.

"Okay," he said aloud.

Two strange looks were his answer.

"You might want to elaborate there." Marik put in.

"What you said. I'm okay with it." Marik was suddenly studying him intensely, dawning comprehension in his eyes. Ryou cleared his throat. "You said you'd-"

"Yep." Marik's voice was matter-of-fact. "I'd date you and Bakura at the same time..."

The other man jumped in. "...and I'm perfectly fine with sharing. If you're okay with it, Ryou."

It was the first time Ryou could remember Bakura using his name.  "I – yes. I am. Thanks, Bakura."

"Akef."

Ryou blinked. "Sorry?"

"My first name is Akef. You should use it, if we're going to be doing this."

He felt a smile steal across his face. He ducked his head. "Akef, then. Thank you."

Marik looked relieved. "That's settled then, thank gods."

"Don't thank them yet." Bakura said with an odd note in his voice. The two of them turned to look at him, but his gaze was fixed downward. Slowly, Ryou dropped his eyes.

The ring was still held loosely in his hands, right where he had left it. However, this time, there were two needles pointing in the same direction.

"The Puzzle." Marik breathed.

"Let's go."


End file.
